Health Behavior Theories and Research: Implications for Suicidal Individuals’ Treatment Linkage and Adherence Original Research Article

Treatment linkage and adherence to psychotherapeutic interventions can be challenging with suicidal individuals. Health behavior theories, specifically the Health Belief Model, Stages of Change, and Theory of Planned Behavior, focus on individualsʹ beliefs, their readiness to change, their perceptions of illness severity and "threat," their perceptions of significant othersʹ attitudes toward illness and treatment, and their behavioral intentions to change. These constructs have relevance both for understanding suicidal individualsʹ behaviors related to treatment utilization and for understanding cultural variations in these behaviors. Furthermore, these theories have implications for clinical practices aimed at facilitating improved treatment follow-through and adherence. After describing the theories and their constructs, clinical examples are provided to illustrate applications to practice with suicidal individuals.