Veterans' satisfaction and perspectives on helpfulness of the Veterans Crisis Line

Lora L. Johnson; Tanner Muehler; Meaghan A. Stacy

doi:10.1111/sltb.12702

journal article Apr 01, 2021

Veterans' satisfaction and perspectives on helpfulness of the Veterans Crisis Line

Lora L. Johnson Tanner Muehler Meaghan A. Stacy

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior Vol. 51 No. 2 pp. 263-273 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/sltb.12702

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveCrisis hotlines are an important part of a public health approach to suicide prevention. The Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) provides hotline services to Veterans. There is a paucity of research concerning the effectiveness of the VCL. The current work describes efforts to establish groundwork for VCL effectiveness research.Methods155 VCL users who were referred to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center Suicide Prevention Team completed interviews including open‐ended and closed‐ended questions. Outcomes are reported for suicidal participants, non‐suicidal participants, and those who had emergency intervention. Thematic analysis was used for open‐ended questions.ResultsEighty‐seven percent of interviewees expressed satisfaction with the VCL, 81.9% reported that the VCL was helpful, and 72.9% said that the VCL helped keep them safe. Of those with suicidal thoughts, 82.6% said the contact helped stop them from killing themselves. Themes are described concerning user identified reasons for VCL contact, most and least helpful aspects of the contact, and suggestions for improvement.DiscussionThis project demonstrates that this group of people who used the VCL overwhelmingly finds the service to be helpful and a barrier to suicide. Further, implications of user feedback for application to VCL operations and future research are discussed.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

50

[1]

10.1002/da.22863

[2]

10.1080/01639625.2017.1399753

[3]

Using thematic analysis in psychology

Virginia Braun, Victoria Clarke

Qualitative Research in Psychology 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

[4]

10.1007/s11920-016-0708-z

[5]

10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.022

[6]

Forging an Agenda for Suicide Prevention in the United States

Eric D. Caine

American Journal of Public Health 10.2105/ajph.2012.301078

[7]

10.1016/j.ajog.2016.12.178

[8]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2019)

[9]

10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.093

[10]

10.15585/mmwr.mm6534a2

[11]

De Leo D. "Suicide prevention is far more than a psychiatric business" World Psychiatry (2004)

[12]

Department of Veterans Affairs (2020)

[13]

Department of Veterans Affairs (2019)

[14]

Department of Veterans Affairs (2018)

[15]

Department of Veterans Affairs (2019)

[16]

Federal Communications Commission (2019)

[17]

Goldsmith S. K. (2002)

[18]

10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.338

[19]

10.1111/sltb.12339

[20]

10.1136/bmj.1.5744.310

[21]

10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb09912.x

[22]

10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00583

[23]

10.1007/s40501-015-0064-3

[24]

10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.353

[25]

10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.322

[26]

10.1016/j.whi.2018.12.002

[27]

10.2105/ajph.94.1.37

[28]

10.2105/ajph.2011.300301

[29]

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for High Suicide Risk in Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder

Marsha M. Linehan, Kathryn E. Korslund, Melanie S. Harned et al.

JAMA Psychiatry 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.3039

[30]

10.2105/ajph.2011.300608

[31]

10.2105/ajph.2004.040410

[32]

McCarthy M. (2019)

[33]

10.3390/ijerph14030243

[34]

10.1176/appi.ps.52.12.1566

[35]

10.1080/87568225.2015.1045781

[36]

10.1176/appi.ajp.160.4.765

[37]

10.1371/journal.pone.0213578

[38]

10.1007/978-3-319-30346-8_25

[39]

10.1521/suli.33.4.341.25227

[40]

Sullivan T. S. (2019)

[41]

10.1038/s41572-019-0121-0

[42]

U.S. Office of the Surgeon General, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (2012)

[43]

U.S. Public Health Service (1999)

[44]

US Public Health Service (2001)

[45]

10.1016/j.brat.2015.08.012

[46]

10.1037/11862-000

[47]

World Health Organization (2012)

[48]

World Health Organization (2014)

[49]

World Health Organization (2016)

[50]

10.1027/0227-5910/a000100

Cited By

12

Mental Health Emergency Hotlines in the United States: A Scoping Review (2012–2021)

Samantha Matthews, Jonathan H. Cantor · 2023

Psychiatric Services

Metrics

12

Citations

50

References

Details

Published: Apr 01, 2021
Vol/Issue: 51(2)
Pages: 263-273
License: View

Authors

L

Lora L. Johnson

Department of Veterans Affairs Robley Rex VA Medical Center Louisville KY USA

T

Tanner Muehler

Department of Veterans Affairs Robley Rex VA Medical Center Louisville KY USA; Eastern Kentucky University Richmond KY USA

M

Meaghan A. Stacy

Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line National Care Coordination and Field Operations Team Canandaigua NY USA; Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine New Haven CT USA

Cite This Article

Lora L. Johnson, Tanner Muehler, Meaghan A. Stacy (2021). Veterans' satisfaction and perspectives on helpfulness of the Veterans Crisis Line. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 51(2), 263-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12702

Veterans' satisfaction and perspectives on helpfulness of the Veterans Crisis Line

You May Also Like