How do recruits and superintendents perceive the problem of suicide in the Italian State Police

Background . Suicide in international police is 2-3-fold that of the general population. Risk factors include suicidal ideation, diagnosis of mood or post-traumatic stress disorders, family/psychological problems, suffered abuse, alcohol use, service suspension, and stigma. A false stigma-related myth is to believe that suicide does not cause concern within military settings. Methods . We administered post-training to 6,103 Italian Police workers a 30-item questionnaire to assess the perception of suicidal phenomena. We conducted descriptive statistics and principal component analysis (PCA). Results . PCA identified six main areas, i.e., interest and multifactoriality; need for new preventive interventions; emotional reaction to suicide; utility of current preventive interventions; indifference and minimization; intervention difficulties. Conclusions . The questionnaire showed content validity and consistency in investigating perceptions about suicide in the State Police. Data synthesis showed a mature approach and appropriate perception of the suicide problem on behalf of Italian State Police workers.