PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the attitudes of health professionals working in Primary Health Care before and after participating in workshops about how to approach people with suicidal behavior. Method: a before-and-after quantitative and quasi-experimental study, conducted in a municipality in the inland of the state of São Paulo from August to September 2019. The sample consisted of 34 workers who answered a Sociodemographic Questionnaire and the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Suicidal Behavior, applied before and after three workshops on how to approach people with suicidal behavior in the Primary Health Care context. The data were analyzed by means of the Wilcoxon and McNemar tests, considering p<0.05. Results: a statistically significant difference was identified before and after the workshops regarding professional ability (p=0.011), negative feelings towards the patient (p=0.025) and without a category (p=0.006), evidencing the effectiveness of the workshops on how to approach people with suicidal behavior for management and care professionals working in Primary Health Care. Conclusion: the short-term results observed after the workshops point to a change in the professionals’ conception and management in relation to people with suicidal behavior. Permanent and continuous training strategies as spaces for learning, reflection and action are fundamental to qualify the approach to people with suicidal behavior.