OSU-Cascades to study suicide prevention, firearms

More than half of the people who die by suicide nationally see their primary care provider within 30 days of taking their life, with a firearm used most often as the weapon.

To help address this issue, a team of researchers from Oregon State University – Cascades received a grant to investigate methods of promoting firearm safety within primary care settings for patients at risk of suicide. The study will focus specifically on rural primary care facilities.

The one-year $40,000 grant was awarded by the University of Rochester’s Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention.

Susan Keys, an associate professor and senior researcher in public health at the branch campus, brings extensive suicide prevention expertise to the investigation.

Keys also chairs the Deschutes County Suicide Prevention Advisory Council and is a consultant for the state of Oregon’s youth suicide prevention grant program.

“OSU-Cascades’ researchers will bring an interdisciplinary approach to this national issue, addressing the social, mental health and cultural issues of the larger environment in order to identify life-saving solutions for our communities,” said Keys.

The three-person team includes Elizabeth Marino, a cultural anthropologist and instructor within the branch campus’s social science program. Marino will lead the effort to discover how to address firearm safety in a manner that is acceptable to a community that places a high value on firearm ownership.

Chris Wolsko, a social psychologist and psychology will bring expertise on the sociocultural foundations of mental and behavioral health to the project.

The La Pine Community Health Center is a partner in the project. Cheryl Emerson, a mental health clinician and graduate of OSU-Cascades graduate counseling program, will also serve as a project partner.