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Randomized Controlled Trial of a Single-session Mechanism-focused Intervention for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

NCT05816317 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 38

Last updated 2025-08-01

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Across multiple models of suicide risk, hopelessness and perceptions of social relatedness (i.e., lack of social connection/thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness) have emerged as candidate mechanisms that maintain STBs. Although these mechanisms have garnered strong empirical support in predicting STBs, there has been virtually no integration with interventions aimed for individuals at acute risk for suicide. Thus, the overarching goal of the present proposal is to evaluate a mechanism-focused intervention that explicitly targets two core mechanisms implicated in the maintenance of STBs: hopelessness and negative perceptions of social relatedness. Given that the period immediately following hospital discharge presents the highest risk for suicide attempts and up to 70% of patients admitted for a suicide attempt do not attend their first outpatient appointment, the intervention will be evaluated on an inpatient unit. Additionally, most of the extant interventions for STBs are administered across multiple sessions (i.e., 4 sessions and up to one year); however treatments of this length are unlikely to be feasible in acute care settings. Fortunately, very brief suicide prevention interventions, are effective in reducing future suicide attempts and increasing the likelihood of attending follow-up treatments. Additionally, single-session interventions (not suicide specific) have been shown to reduce hopelessness immediately and at a one-month follow-up.

The present study is an RCT comparing a novel Single Session Mechanism Focused Intervention (SSMFI) for STBs to treatment-as-usual (TAU) on a psychiatric inpatient unit for patients admitted for suicidal ideation or attempt. The engagement of the putative processes (hopelessness and negative perceptions of social relatedness) that maintain STBs will be assessed, along with the feasibility and acceptability of SSMFI for STBs on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Single-Session Mechanism-Focused Intervention (SSMFI)

A brief intervention for patients hospitalized for suicide risk that directly targets hopelessness and perceptions of social relatedness.

BEHAVIORAL

Distress Tolerance Skills Review

Treatment as usual at the inpatient setting for this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Shannon E. Sauer-Zavala

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Shannon Sauer-Zavala, PhD · University of Kentucky

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-10-16
Primary Completion
2025-05-20
Completion
2025-05-20

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

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 NCT05816317 on ClinicalTrials.gov