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Peer Based Suicide Prevention

NCT04222673 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 17

Last updated 2025-11-05

Study results available
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Summary

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) suicide rates remain high, requiring new approaches. VHA patients tend to have high medical and behavioral health care needs that cause disruption in their lives and heighten their risk of suicide. This study will adapt and pilot test an intervention that expands the focus of care for VHA patients with high risk for suicide to building a life of self-respect, meaning, and connectedness in one's local community. The pilot intervention will involve receiving support and mentorship from a fellow Veteran living with the same challenges who has been trained in helping others manage their disabilities while achieving specific life goals (i.e., a 'Peer Specialist'). Results from this study will demonstrate the preliminary effectiveness of supplementing the VHA's current clinical approaches to suicide prevention with support provided by a trained Peer Specialist that offers empathy, hope, and practical advice that stemming from 'lived experience' of disability and recovery.

Conditions

  • Suicide

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Peer Specialist Suicide Prevention

The intervention will last 3-months, a time frame that overlaps with the typical duration of a VA suicide high risk flag. Meetings will be 30-45 minutes and occur primarily in the community, home, or by telephone. Session content will be rooted in Peer Specialists (PSs) offering nonjudgmental empathic support, active listening, and constructive disclosure and role modeling. A primary focus will be helping patients with flags to identify and strengthen connections with informal supports and participation in activities in their community that will enable them to feel more worthwhile as individuals and hopeful about their future.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • VA Office of Research and Development

    lead FED

Principal Investigators

  • Matthew J. Chinman, PhD · VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PA

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-05-14
Primary Completion
2023-12-30
Completion
2024-03-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04222673 on ClinicalTrials.gov