Promoting recovery from suicidal ideation through the development of protective factors

Background The important message of engendering hope in clients with suicidal ideation has frequently been obscured by the prevalence of a negative risk factors perspective and by a general lack of empirical support for intervention models based on developing protective factors. Aim This research aimed to explore recovery from suicidal ideation in the six months following engagement in a protective factors‐based therapeutic intervention. Method Recovery was ascertained by the change in levels of positive and negative outlook, as measured by the PHQ ‐9, the single‐item self‐esteem indicator, and the positive and negative suicide ideation inventory. This involved administering a questionnaire to clients pre‐therapy ( n = 376) and again to the same clients one month ( n = 147), three months ( n = 130) and six months ( n = 107) post‐therapy. All participants were over 18 years old and presented to a suicide intervention charity for therapy due to suicidal ideation. Findings Results showed an overall significant effect for engaging in therapy. Comparisons revealed statistically significant decreases in levels of negative outlook and increases in positive outlook, with the largest differences observed in pre‐therapy and six‐month post‐therapy comparisons. Implications Results provide support for the efficacy of intervention models that develop a client's protective factors and for the ability of a client to recover from suicidal ideation. Findings may also encourage therapists to reconsider reliance on the traditional negative model of suicide intervention and to explore intervention methods that enhance clients’ protective factors in line with the positive psychology perspective.