SynthesisBMC public health2025
Gatekeeper training for suicide prevention: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Key Components and Barriers in Web-Based Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training: Systematic Narrative Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Knowledge tests on adolescent depression and anxiety: a measure for adults in the Chilean school system.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Suicide among patients with cancer: a retrospective study of medical treatment-related factors associated with suicide.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Co-Designing and Evaluating a Suicide Prevention Workshop for General Practice and Community Staff in Rural South Australia.The Australian journal of rural health · 2026Article
- Teachers as Gatekeepers in Adolescent Suicide Prevention: The Role of Suicide-Related Knowledge, Empathy, and Collaborative Self-Efficacy.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Variations among Career Fields in Virtual Reality Suicide Crisis Training Effects among U.S. Air Force Personnel.Journal of technology in behavioral science · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the community-based suicide surveillance system in Northern Thailand using the RE-AIM framework.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Suicide prevention for international students: A single-arm mixed methods evaluation of the LivingWorks safeTALK program in Australia.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
- A comparative study of online and face-to-face gatekeeper training using the suicide CARE program.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionGatekeeper training (GKT) aims to enhance suicide gatekeepers' (GKs) abilities in assessing suicide risk, identify those at-risk and refer them. However, existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on GKT have not produced definitive results. This study reviewed RCTs on GKT to provide evidence for developing effective suicide prevention strategies.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Google Scholar, Medrxiv, and Ebsco for English-language RCTs published between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2024. Two authors independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effect model. Heterogeneity was assessed by using I
resultsSixteen studies were included. Compared to the control group, gatekeepers showed increased suicide knowledge (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.32 - 1.13) and enhanced self-efficacy (SMD = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.33 - 1.13) for suicide prevention. For knowledge, the improvements were sustained in the short-term (SMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.22 - 1.06) but diminished in the long-term (SMD = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.05 - 0.45). Online interventions showed a significant improvement in self-efficacy (SMD = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.73 - 1.32), while offline interventions demonstrated a potential but non-significant improvement (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI: -0.08 - 1.17). Preparedness also showed a significant improvement (SMD = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.31 - 1.07).
conclusionThis meta-analysis demonstrated GKT's effectiveness in enhancing knowledge and self-efficacy (moderate effect) for suicide prevention. However, the positive effects tend to decrease over time. Online training offers significant benefits, making it a viable option for widespread implementation. Additionally, the selection of gatekeepers plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of online GKT programs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.