A Focused Suicide Prevention Strategy for Youth Presenting to the Emergency Department With Suicide Related Behaviour: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Enrollment
- 128
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in suicidal ideation severity as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire - Jr
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This study evaluates whether a Family-centered suicide prevention strategy, when added to usual care (F-SPS + UC), is more effective than enhanced usual care (EUC) in reducing suicide-related behaviors in 128 youth at high-risk of suicide. Half of the participants will be randomized to receive F-SPS + UC and half will receive EUC.
Detailed Description
This is a RCT of a patient- and family-centered suicide prevention intervention added to usual care (F-SPS + UC) for adolescents aged 12 to 18 years who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with suicidal ideation or suicide risk behaviours. The investigators will determine whether the F-SPS + UC intervention is more effective than enhanced usual care (EUC) in reducing suicide-related behaviors in 128 youth at high-risk of suicide.
F-SPS is a 6-week, standardized, manualized outpatient program that teaches participants to the skills to manage suicidal thoughts and impulses effectively. The family component addresses conflictual relationships that may be present in the family as well as improving family communication.
Enhanced usual care consists of 6 weekly telephone calls to ensure that the participant has connected with community resources suggested by the ED team and provide additional resources as needed.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description
The research staff responsible for measuring outcomes will be blinded to participants' randomization.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 12 Years to 18 Years (Child, Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Ages 12 to18 years
- •Youth presenting in the Emergency Department with acute suicidal ideation or suicide risk behaviour
- •SIQ-Jr score ≥ 31
- •Parent or caregiver able to communicate in English, or is willing to communicate using a hospital-organized translator, and willing to participate in study
- •Living in the greater Toronto area and access to a telephone.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Active psychosis or hypomania/mania
- •Moderate to severe intellectual disability, autism.
Arms & Interventions
F-SPS Intervention
This group will receive the F-SPS intervention.
Intervention: F-SPS+UC (Behavioral)
Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)
This group will receive Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)
Intervention: EUC (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in suicidal ideation severity as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire - Jr
Time Frame: Screening, 6 weeks, 24 weeks
a 15-item measure self-report of suicide ideation (e.g., thoughts about death and dying) completed by the patient. Items are scored from 0 to 6, yielding a score from 0 to 90. Higher scores indicate more severe suicidal ideation.
Secondary Outcomes
- Changes in affect regulation as measured by the Children's Affective Lability Scale(Baseline, 6 weeks, 24 weeks)
- Usual Care Tracking Survey(Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6)
- Change in suicide related behavior as measured by the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire - Revised(Screening, 6 weeks, 24 weeks)
- Changes in global impairment as measured by the Columbia Impairment Scale(Baseline, 6 weeks, 24 weeks)
- Health Care Utilization Survey(Baseline, 24 weeks)
- Changes in emotional regulation using the Life Problems Inventory(Baseline, 6 weeks, 24 weeks)
- Change in family conflict as measured by the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire(Baseline, 6 weeks, 24 weeks)
Investigators
Daphne Korczak
Psychiatrist
The Hospital for Sick Children