Which Helper Behaviors and Intervention Styles are Related to Better Short-Term Outcomes in Telephone Crisis Intervention? Results from a Silent Monitoring Study of Calls to the U.S. 1–800-SUICIDE Network

  1. Brian L. Mishara PhD1,*,
  2. Fran¸ois Chagnon PhD2,
  3. Marc Daigle PhD3,
  4. Bogdan Balan MD, PhD4,
  5. Sylvaine Raymond MA5,
  6. Isabelle Marcoux PhD6,
  7. Cécile Bardon MA7,
  8. Julie K. Campbell BS8,
  9. Alan Berman PhD9

Article first published online: 31 DEC 2010

DOI: 10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.308

Issue

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior

Volume 37, Issue 3, pages 308–321, June 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Mishara, B. L., Chagnon, F., Daigle, M., Balan, B., Raymond, S., Marcoux, I., Bardon, C., Campbell, J. K. and Berman, A. (2007), Which Helper Behaviors and Intervention Styles are Related to Better Short-Term Outcomes in Telephone Crisis Intervention? Results from a Silent Monitoring Study of Calls to the U.S. 1–800-SUICIDE Network. Suicide and Life-Threat Behavi, 37: 308–321. doi: 10.1521/suli.2007.37.3.308

Author Information

  1. 1

    Director, Center for Research and Intervention on Suicide and Euthanasia (CRISE) and Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal

  2. 2

    Associate-director

  3. 3

    Researcher

  4. 4

    Researcher

  5. 5

    Research coordinator

  6. 6

    Researcher at CRISE

  7. 7

    PhD student, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal

  8. 8

    PhD student, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal and Director, Le Faubourg Suicide Prevention Centre, St. Jerome, Quebec

  9. 9

    Director, American Association of Suicidology.

*Director, Center for Research and Intervention on Suicide and Euthanasia, University of Quebec at Montreal, c.p. 8888, Succ. Center-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3C 3P8; E-mail: mishara.brian@uqam.ca

  1. *This study was conducted under contract with the American Association of Suicidology in fulfillment of the evaluation requirements of Grant No. 6079SM54–27–01–1 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Thanks to Reese Butler, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center staff, Jerry Reed, and the Directors and helpers at the crisis centers who participated in this study.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 31 DEC 2010
  2. Article first published online: 31 DEC 2010
  3. Manuscript Received: July 28, 2006 Manuscript Accepted: November 1, 2006

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A total of 2,611 calls to 14 helplines were monitored to observe helper behaviors and caller characteristics and changes during the calls. The relationship between intervention characteristics and call outcomes are reported for 1,431 crisis calls. Empathy and respect, as well as factor-analytically derived scales of supportive approach and good contact and collaborative problem solving were significantly related to positive outcomes, but not active listening. We recommend recruitment of helpers with these characteristics, development of standardized training in those methods that are empirically shown to be effective, and the need for research relating short-term outcomes to long-term effects.

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