Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Clinical Psychology

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Duncan G. Campbell

Commitee Members

Ellen Bluett, Hillary Powell, Julie Olomi, Holly Schleicher

Keywords

attitudes, education, family medicine residents, primary care, suicide screening, theory of planned behavior

Abstract

General medical healthcare settings, particularly primary care and family medicine practices, serve as critical access points for addressing mental health concerns. This is especially true in rural communities, where specialized behavioral health services are often limited or unavailable. Given the elevated suicide risk in these settings and the shortage of mental health professionals, primary care providers are well-positioned to identify patients at risk through suicide screening. However, research shows that many established providers do not routinely screen for suicide, representing a missed opportunity for prevention, and little is known about resident attitudes towards suicide screening and prevention. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examined family medicine residents’ intentions (n=73) to screen for suicide and the potential influence of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions via an online cross-sectional survey. Results indicated that subjective norms significantly predicted general intentions to screen for suicide, while attitudes predicted actual screening behavior. Additionally, training experience predicted intentions to screen for suicide among patients with chronic pain, highlighting the role of clinical exposure. Trends also emerged suggesting that mental health stigma and year in residency may be involved in potentially influencing screening intentions, warranting further investigation. Contrary to expectations, intention did not predict screening behavior, and no differences were observed between geographical location (rural vs urban) and suicide screening intentions and behavior. Overall, the present findings provide support for attitudes and subjective norms as important factors involved in potentially influencing intention and behavior. Further, the findings underscore the importance of the relationship between training experiences during residency and attitudes that may then increase suicide screening intention and behavior in future providers.

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© Copyright 2025 Jennifer Villa