Caring Letters for Military Suicide Prevention
- Conditions
- Suicide, AttemptedSuicide
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Caring Letter (email)
- Registration Number
- NCT01473771
- Lead Sponsor
- National Center for Telehealth and Technology
- Brief Summary
The purpose of this multi-site randomized controlled trial is to determine if the Caring Letters intervention is effective in preventing suicide and suicidal behaviors among U.S. Service Members and Veterans. The primary aim of this project is determine whether caring communications following inpatient psychiatric treatment reduce suicide and self-inflicted injuries among U.S. military personnel and Veterans. The investigators will also explore treatment utilization by comparing the frequency of treatment visits after enrollment into the study. The following specific hypotheses will be tested:
Hypothesis 1: During a two year follow-up after the index hospital discharge, the frequency of suicide will be lower among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to those in the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 2: The frequency of medically admitted self-inflicted injuries will also be lower in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 3: The time to suicidal act, among those who do subsequently exhibit one, will be longer among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
- Detailed Description
This social/ behavioral study is a five year multi-site randomized controlled trial that will compare the Caring Letters intervention (with usual care) to usual care without the caring letters. Participants will be recruited from inpatient psychiatry units of collaborating military and Veterans Affairs (VA) sites and randomized to either a group that receives letters (Caring Letters group) or a group that does not receive letters (Usual Care group). The methodology of the intervention is updated with emails instead of postal letters. This study fills an important gap in the evidence base for the Caring Letter intervention through a methodologically rigorous research design.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 1319
- Current psychiatric inpatients
- Possess an active email account
- Informed consent
- Active duty military, Veteran, Retiree, National Guard or Reserves status
- Not competent to consent
- Adverse behavioral problems
- The primary psychiatric nurse or attending psychiatrist considers that study to be clinically inappropriate
- Currently under arrest/incarceration
- Involuntary committed for psychiatric care status
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Caring Letter Condition (CL) Caring Letter (email) In the Caring Letters (CL) group, participants will be emailed "letters" for two years on a planned schedule. The emailed letters are simple expressions of care and include standard contact information for available health care services.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Suicide Mortality Rates Study Completion (2 years) Death Certificates as recorded in the Center for Disease Control (CDC's) National Death Index Plus(NDI-Plus) will be reviewed. The Social Security Administration Master Death File will also be used.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Time to Suicidal Behavior Study Completion (2 years) This is a survey that will assess participant suicidal behaviors and medical/psychiatric treatment utilization over the previous two years.
Trial Locations
- Locations (6)
Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC)
🇺🇸Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Palo Alto VAHCS
🇺🇸Palo Alto, California, United States
Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD)
🇺🇸San Diego, California, United States
VA Western New York, Buffalo VA Medical Center
🇺🇸Buffalo, New York, United States
National Center for Telehealth and Technology
🇺🇸Tacoma, Washington, United States
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
🇩🇪Landstuhl, Germany