Trial Outcomes & Findings for Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Native Youth Suicide in Rural Alaska (NCT NCT03661255)

Cohort 1 ended prematurely in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Recruitment of Cohort 2 Wave 1 began in October 2020 and Wave 2 began in August 2021. Care package recipients were recruited to maintain connection with community members after the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the project. Some recipients self-selected to receive care packages and some were nominated by the Community Steering Committee.

All participants were invited to attend PC CARES LCs at baseline. Participants who did not attend LCs were retroactively assigned to either the "Close to someone in PC CARES" or "Unconnected to PC CARES" groups based on their response to a follow-up survey question that listed the names of all who attended at least 4 LCs and asked whether the respondent was "close to" the people on the list in their community or region (for itinerant and district-level employees).

Age data was not collected for participants at baseline

The Wellness Self-Efficacy scale includes two items: 1. I know how I can make positive changes for school wellness 2. There are things I can do to promote wellness here Items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale with response options ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7) with a neutral midpoint. Responses to the two items are averaged to calculate a composite Wellness Self-Efficacy score ranging from 1 to 7. The reported outcome measure is the mean (standard deviation) of the composite score. Higher scores indicate greater self-efficacy for promoting school wellness.

The Community of Practice scale includes three items: 1. Many people in this community work together for suicide prevention/wellness. 2. I have regular opportunities to work with others to increase wellness. 3. I have many people to work with in my community to prevent suicide. Items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale with response options ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7) with a neutral midpoint. Responses to the three items are averaged to calculate a composite Community of Practice score ranging from 1 to 7. The reported outcome measure is the mean (standard deviation) of the composite score. Higher scores indicate a stronger community of practice for suicide prevention and wellness.

The Suicide Prevention Self-Efficacy scale includes three items: 1. I know how to talk safely about suicide, in ways that help with prevention 2. I know how to decrease suicide risk for others by the way I talk about suicide 3. I feel confident that I can do things to prevent suicide Items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale with response options ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7) with a neutral midpoint. Responses to the three items are averaged to calculate a composite Suicide Prevention Self-Efficacy score ranging from 1 to 7. The reported outcome measure is the mean (standard deviation) of the composite score. Higher scores indicate greater self-efficacy for engaging in suicide prevention.

The Working Together scale includes six items: 1. I asked someone for help doing prevention/wellness work when I needed it 2. I spoke up about what the school can do to reduce the risk of youth suicide 3. I talked with others about wellness 4. I worked with others to increase wellness in the school community 5. I worked with others to prevent suicide 6. I let others know what resources are available for prevention. Participants were asked if they had completed the action in the past few months (Y/N), resulting in a count of the types of actions taken.

The Interpersonal Support measure included 7 items: 1. I spent time listening to a teen or child who just wanted to talk about their experience 2. I trusted others in the school community to hear what I have to say 3. I reached out to a child who was hurting (alone, sad, angry) 4. I helped a youth (child/teen) who was feeling down get help (Behavioral Health Services, Alaska Careline, etc.) 5. I reminded someone that just listening to someone can be more supportive than giving advice 6. I quietly listened to a youth (child or teen) who had a problem, reflecting back to them what I heard 7. I encouraged others to offer small acts of kindness when someone was having a hard time. Participants were asked if they had completed the action in the past few months (Y/N), resulting in a count of the types of actions taken.

The Postvention Behavior measure includes five items: 1. I shared only the basic facts of a suicide (avoiding details) 2. I spoke to someone about how to talk safely after a suicide 3. I talked about how suicide is no one's fault 4. I shared that it can be harmful to honor someone who died by suicided more than is done for other deaths 5. I talked about how we can help prevent further harm after a suicide happens Participants were asked if they had completed the action in the past few months (Y/N), resulting in a count of the types of actions taken.