Evaluation of a School-Based Training Program for Suicide Prevention

Suicide Clinical Trial

Official title:

RCT of Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00118443
• Other study ID #: R34MH071189
• Secondary ID: R34MH071189DSIR
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• First received: July 6, 2005
• Last updated: June 27, 2013
• Start date: March 2004
• Est. completion date: December 2006

Study information

• Verified date: June 2013
• Source: University of Rochester
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal Government
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will determine whether a training program designed to help school staff members identify adolescents at risk for suicide will increase the number of students who are referred to mental health services.

Description:

The rate of suicide among adolescents has significantly increased in recent years. Psychiatric disorders are often associated with increased suicide risk; therefore, the ability to identify adolescents with signs of depression and other psychiatric conditions is clear. This study will determine the effectiveness of a suicide prevention training program called Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) in increasing the number of potentially suicidal adolescents who are referred to mental health services. The training is designed to help school staff recognize signs that a student may be suicidal, provide tips on how to question students about any suicidal thoughts they may have, and provide techniques to persuade students to seek suicide prevention help.

School staff will be randomly assigned to either receive QPR training for 2 years starting immediately or be placed on a waiting list for later training. The rates of referral to the school district's prevention/intervention centers will be used to assess the effectiveness of QPR training. In addition, the impact of QPR training on school staff members' knowledge and attitudes about intervening with at-risk students will be assessed through surveys at four time points over the 2-year study duration with a randomly selected portion of staff in the 32 participating schools. Surveys completed by randomly selected 8th and 10th grade students will also be used to determine whether the intervention is effective in reducing suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Study hypothesis: More students in schools that have Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)-trained staff will be referred for a mental health evaluation than in schools without QPR-trained staff.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 50000
• Est. completion date: December 2006
• Est. primary completion date: December 2006
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria for School Staff Members:

• Currently working as a staff member in Cobb County school district

Inclusion Criteria for Students:

• Parent or guardian willing to provide informed consent

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Prevention

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Suicide

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Cobb County School District	Marietta	Georgia

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Rochester	National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Rates of referrals for students identified as suicidal risks
Primary	school staff knowledge and attitudes
Primary	outcomes of mental health evaluations for accurate detection of suicidal risk