Suicide prevention workshop: Awareness improvement and training efficacy

Objectives: Suicide prevention is a vital aspect of mental health initiatives, especially in high-stress settings such as the armed forces. Training air warriors with skills to identify and respond to at-risk individuals is vital for early intervention and timely support. Accordingly, the Suicide Prevention Workshop (SPW), conducted by the Department of Aviation Psychology at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), aims to equip Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel to serve as gatekeepers within training establishments. This study assesses the effectiveness of SPW among air warriors in preventing suicides. Material and Methods: Air warriors ( n =169) serving as mentors in IAF training establishments and who completed SPW at IAM participated in the study. The Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, which assesses knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and intervention skills of air warriors related to suicide prevention, was administered before and after training. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to evaluate changes between pre- and post-intervention scores. Results: The analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores ( p < 0.001), representing enhanced knowledge, positive attitude shifts, and improved intervention-related skills among the trained air warriors. Conclusion: The findings suggest that SPW is effective in preparing air warriors with the essential skills to act as gatekeepers in suicide prevention. The study underpins the importance of structured training programs in strengthening mental health support within military settings in India.