LIFE SKILLS AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION: Increasing Protective Factors

Suicide prevention is about reducing risk factors: debilitating mental illness, isolation, access to lethal means, substance abuse, etc. But we can’t stop there. Suicide prevention is also about mental health promotion. Workplaces will function best when we have mentally resilient people. In other words we need to find ways to invest in the human capital by boosting psychological hardiness in a world that seems increasingly confusing and isolating.

Psychological Hardiness

Commitment (vs. alienation) -the ability to feel deeply involved in activities of life
Control (vs. powerlessness)-belief you can control or influence events of your experience
Challenge (vs. threat)-anticipation of change as an exciting challenge to further development

Resiliency is evident when there are: (1) positive performance regardless of high-risk status, (2) constant competence under stress, and (3) recovery from trauma.¹

By employing two major strategies, workplaces can optimize resiliency:

1. Increase positive coping strategies. Many workplaces know about the debilitating effects of stress and conflict in the workplace. On-going professional development in these areas will help employees develop the necessary skills for weathering tough times. For instance, increasing cognitive abilities of adaptation and reframing can be enhanced through stress inoculation strategies.

2. Increase social integration. Social integration research tells us that Americans are losing confidants at an alarming rate. That is, people have fewer people they can turn to when they have a problem. In the 1980s most people had at least three confidants; now the modal number is one. Workplaces looking to bolster resiliency might consider how to better foster a sense of belonging and reduce isolation.

¹Masten, A.S., Best, K.M., & Garmezy, N. (1990). Resilience and development: Contributions from the study of children who overcome adversity. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 425-444.