Skills to Enhance Positivity in Suicidal Youth (STEP) Study
This study is testing two approaches for young people aged 12-60 who have been hospitalized due to suicide risk. One approach, called STEP, involves four in-person sessions (three individual, one family) that teach skills like mindfulness and gratitude to improve positive feelings. The other approach, Enhanced TAU (Treatment As Usual), provides standard care along with a phone app that offers a personalized safety plan. Researchers want to see if STEP is better at reducing suicidal thoughts and events compared to Enhanced TAU over 6 and 12 months. You might be able to join if you are 12-60 years old, have been hospitalized for suicide risk, have attempted suicide or had suicidal thoughts recently, speak English, and have a smartphone.
- Study design
- This is an interventional study with 216 participants. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the STEP intervention or Enhanced TAU.
- What's involved
- Participants in the STEP group will have 4 in-person sessions (3 individual, 1 family). They will also receive daily mood monitoring prompts and skill reminders for the first month, then three times a week for the next two months.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Participants will be followed for 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after starting the study.
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Skills to Enhance Positivity in Suicidal Youth
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
3 sites across 2 statesWho to contact
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Do you actually qualify for this trial?
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Inclusion
Exclusion
What this trial measures
- Suicidal eventsbaseline; change from baseline at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up
Composite variable of either a suicide attempt or emergency intervention to intercede when suicidal behavior may be imminent; Will be obtained from clinical interviews (C-SSRS; CASA) with the participant and parent(s).
- Suicidal ideationbaseline; change from baseline at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up
Suicide Ideation (SI) will be operationalized as proportion of participants with active SI as assessed by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale interview: 5 items on suicidal ideation rated yes or no
- Proportion of Weeks with Suicidal ideationbaseline; change from baseline at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up
The proportion of weeks during follow-up with active suicidal ideation as assessed by the Adolescent version of the Longitudinal Interview for Follow-Up Events (A-LIFE) scale (interview based assessment), with the participant.
- Depressionbaseline; change from baseline at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up
Depressive symptom severity will be assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The BDI-II will be administered to the adolescent participant and their parent (reporting on the adolescent participant) with scores ranging from 0 to 63 with higher scores reflecting greater depression.