MEN-ACCESS: Suizidprävention für Männer

Development and evaluation of two gender-specific e-learning programs for gatekeepers and men at risk of suicide

Duration: 01.04.2021 bis 31.03.2024
Project Lead at Bielefeld University: Prof. Dr. Doreen Reifegerste
Coordination at Bielefeld University: Dr. Anna Wagner

Men have a significantly higher suicide rate than women, but are less likely to contact help services and are less likely to be recognized as people at risk. They are more difficult to reach for suicide prevention measures than women. Evaluated gender-specific suicide prevention concepts for men are largely lacking. The internet and social media play an important role today as sources of information on suicide methods, but are also an important medium for suicide prevention.

The MEN-ACCESS research project identified gender-specific risk factors, communication strategies, access routes and so-called 'gatekeepers', i.e. persons who people in a crisis turn to. As part of the project, two e-learning tools for suicide prevention were developed and evaluated, one for men at increased risk of suicide and one for gatekeepers.

A systematic review of (in)effective communication strategies in suicide prevention and an egocentric network survey to identify potential gatekeepers were conducted at Bielefeld University to develop the tools. Finally, the two e-learning tools were validated in an evaluation study with gatekeepers and men.

Publikationen:

Wagner, A. J., & Reifegerste, D. (2024). Real men don't talk? Relationships among depressiveness, loneliness, conformity to masculine norms, and male non-disclosure of mental distress. SSM - Mental Health, 5, 100296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100296

Wagner, A. J., & Reifegerste, D. (2024). Gender-Specific Non-Disclosure of Mental Distress. A Cross-Sectional Survey on Reasons and Associated Factors. European Journal of Health Communication, 5 (2), 60-80. https://doi.org/10.47368/ejhc.2024.204

Wagner, A., & Reifegerste, D. (2024). Desirable and Adverse Effects of Communicative Suicide Prevention Interventions Among Men. Crisis, 45(5), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000965

Research Network MEN-ACCESS

Research Network and Funding:

The MEN-ACCESS research network was a collaboration between the University of Leipzig (Head: Prof. Dr. Heide Glaesmer), the Medical School Berlin (Prof. Dr. Birgit Wagner) and the University of Bielefeld (Prof. Dr. Doreen Reifegerste).

The project was funded by GKV-Bündnis für Gesundheit.

Co-operation partners:

• Olaf Theuerkauf, Chairman of the Men's Health Foundation
• Prof. Dr Barbara Schneider, Acting Head of the National Suicide Prevention Programme (Naspro)
• Prof. Reinhard Lindner, University of Kassel and Acting Head of the National Suicide Prevention Programme and Head of the Working Group on Suicide in Old Age (Naspro)
• Jörg Schmidt (M. A.), Head of the office, AGUS Angehörige um Suizid e. V.
• Prof. Dr. Georg Schomerus, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Leipzig University Hospital