Online

Comeau, Rachael A.

Leadership and Developmental Sciences

2021

Ed. D.

Suicide prevention is a top public health priority in Vermont. It is a complex issue, requiring a multi-faceted response from many different public and private stakeholders. Because intentional self-poisoning with suicidal intent is rarely lethal, it presents a particularly good opportunity for secondary interventions in the primary care setting. Extensive research has been done on intentional self-poisoning with suicidal intent and its relationship to subsequent risk of death by suicide, but gaps exist in research utilizing poison center data in the primary care setting. This dissertation employs an explanatory sequential mixed method research design to (a) develop a profile of Vermonters under the age of 20 who intentionally self-poison with suicidal intent, and (b) explore primary care interventions that could be implemented in Vermont. The dissertation study uses data from the Northern New England Poison Control Center (NNEPCC) and a focus group of primary care physicians to answer the research questions. Findings from the study point to implications for how this research can build off of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and be utilized to develop an implementation strategy for one specific intervention in primary care.