Suicide Clinical Trial - Public Messaging to Increase Treatment Seeking

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The risk for suicide increases by nearly 50% in the first year that service members transition from the military to civilian life underscoring the need for effective strategies to facilitate help seeking among Veterans vulnerable to self-directed violence. Yet despite a great need for treatment, more than half of returning Veterans at risk for suicide do not initiate mental health services. VA has embarked on the regular use of communication campaigns as part of a public health approach designed to reach the larger Veteran population with messages promoting help seeking. However, what types of messages effectively change beliefs and behaviors for at-risk Veterans resistant to seek treatment is unclear. The main objective of this study is to develop and test the use of public messaging to increase treatment seeking among Veterans at risk for suicide and resistant to seek mental health care following separation from military service. This represents the first study to systematically develop public messaging strategies for populations at risk for suicide.

Clinical Trial Description

The main objective of this study is to develop and test the use of public messaging to increase treatment seeking among Veterans at risk for suicide and resistant to seek mental health care following separation from military service. A four-year mixed methods study that uses a sequential embedded design will be used to collect data from nationwide samples of Veterans at risk for suicide not in mental health treatment who separated from the DoD in the past year. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, individual interviews will first be conducted to guide the design of effective public messages that will be subsequently tested in a two-arm RCT to determine exposure effects among targeted audience vs. control group. Messages will be disseminated to study participants during the trial by a smartphone app. Research staff will collect assessments by telephone at baseline, 1- and 3-months post-randomization. Potential participants (for all study aims) will be identified using data available from the VA/DOD Identity Repository (VADIR) and recruited by invitational mailing and follow-up telephone calls. If the intervention is found effective, the investigators will work with the VA operational partner to include messages in future outreach approaches to prevent Veteran suicide and use findings to improve current communication performance measures. ;

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT04784663
Study type	Interventional
Source	VA Office of Research and Development
Contact	Elizabeth Karras-Pilato, PhD
Phone	(585) 393-7285
Email	Elizabeth.Karras-Pilato@va.gov
Status	Recruiting
Phase	N/A
Start date	November 1, 2022
Completion date	September 30, 2025

View Details

See also
Status	Clinical Trial	Phase
Completed	`NCT04127292` - Impact of Clinician Virtual Human Interaction Training in Emotional Self-Awareness on Patients Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Crisis Syndrome	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT06079853` - Nurse Suicide: Physiologic Sleep Health Promotion Trial	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT05423483` - Developing an Intervention to Promote Lethal Means Safety in Suicidal Adolescents	Phase 2
Completed	`NCT03272048` - Identifying Effective Approaches to Counseling on Firearm Safety	N/A
Completed	`NCT05514587` - Meaning of Life Questionnaire (MLQ) in Patients Admitted to the Crisis Centre (MSVCAC)
Enrolling by invitation	`NCT05639426` - Preventing Youth Violence Through Building Equitable Communities	N/A
Completed	`NCT03703128` - Suicide in People Aged 45-60: A Case-control Psychological Autopsy Study
Completed	`NCT03646903` - Reducing Help-Seeking Stigma in Young Adults at Elevated Suicide Risk	N/A
Not yet recruiting	`NCT06349915` - A Pilot Evaluation of a Digital Peer Support Intervention for Suicidal Adolescents	N/A
Not yet recruiting	`NCT05558332` - Youth Nominated Support Team	N/A
Completed	`NCT02718248` - Ottawa Suicide Prevention in Men Pilot Study	N/A
Completed	`NCT02094898` - Ketamine for Depression and Suicide Risk	Phase 2
Completed	`NCT01360736` - A Brief Intervention to Reduce Suicide Risk in Military Service Members and Veterans - Study 2 (SAFEMIL)	N/A
Completed	`NCT01594138` - Linguistic Characteristics of Suicidal Patients in the Emergency Department	N/A
Completed	`NCT02228044` - Alcohol, Suicide and HIV Prevention for Teens in Mental Health Treatment	N/A
Completed	`NCT00604097` - Preventing Youth Suicide in Primary Care: A Family Model	Phase 3
Completed	`NCT00387855` - An Evaluation of the SOS (Suicide Prevention) Program	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT03519802` - Evaluation of Cognitive Function in a Suicidal Crisis
Completed	`NCT05580757` - Pharmacists as Gate Keepers in Suicide Prevention: Needs of Pharmacists
Recruiting	`NCT03030924` - Wearable Suicidal Early Warning System for Adolescents

Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.

Public Messaging to Increase Treatment Seeking for Veterans at Risk for Suicide

Clinical Trial Summary

Clinical Trial Description

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms