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Expansion and Reevaluation of the Implicit Association Test in Suicide Ideators and Suicide Attempters

NCT04585802 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 447

Last updated 2025-07-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

A new approach to investigate suicidal processes belongs to the broader neurocognitive picture and are so-called implicit associations. In dual process models of information processing a second functioning mode, the automatic processing mode, complements the conscious processing. Suicidal persons tend to have a stronger implicit association with "death" than non-suicidal persons. In this study, implicit associations between different unconscious cognitive constructs are compared among suicidal and non-suicidal patients. Therefore, an adapted version of the computer-based reaction time task (IAT-S) will be used.

Four different versions of IATs are tested in this study. In the first version the implicit association between "self / others" and "death / life" is assessed (1). The second and third version measures the emotional evaluation of "death" (2) and "life" (3). In addition, in the fourth version the implicit association between death / life and internal / external locus of control is assessed (4).

The implicit associations of these four IAT-S versions are compared between three groups: patients with suicidal behavior, patients with suicidal ideation, and a clinical group without previous suicide attempts and without suicidal ideation.

The following hypotheses are made: in all four versions of the IAT-S, patients with previous suicidal behavior will have stronger implicit associations: between "self" and "death" as well as "death" and "internal locus of control" compared to all other groups. With a more "positive" evaluation of "death" and a more "negative" evaluation of "life" than all other participants.

Conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital of Psychiatry, Department Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging

    collaborator OTHER

  • University of Bern

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Anja C. Gysin-Maillart, PD · University of Bern

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-05-27
Primary Completion
2024-11-26
Completion
2024-11-26

Countries

  • Switzerland

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

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 NCT04585802 on ClinicalTrials.gov