The BH-Works Suicide Prevention Program for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

Summary

Youth suicide is a serious public health concern. Compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents report higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Unfortunately, many barriers complicate the implementation of suicide prevention in SGM communities. SGM youth often report feeling unwelcome in traditional behavioral health service organizations. Consequently, treatment attendance and retention remain low. Instead, this population generally seeks mental health services in community organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. These organizations are often unprepared for this clinical challenge. The Behavioral Health-Works (BH-Works) suicide risk management system may offer a potential solution to this problem. BH-Works is an evidence-based, comprehensive youth suicide prevention program. It offers support for policy development, staff training, suicide and behavioral health screening, technology-assisted safety planning, an electronic patient referral system, real-time data analytics for program monitoring, and a learning collaborative structure to support sustainability. All functions are supported on a web-based software platform that facilitates cross-system communication, implementation, adoption, and expansion. In this project, the investigators will adapt this program for LGBTQ organizations and test feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness. This project builds upon robust partnerships with two diverse LGBTQ organizations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and rural Southwest, Virginia) and their respective behavioral health (BH) partnering sites. To facilitate BH-Works adaptation for SGM adolescents, the investigators will employ the Enhancing Engagement trajectory from Lau's cultural adaptation framework. To pilot the program within LGBTQ organizations and their partners, the investigators will use an Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid Type 2 design with a historical comparison group. Informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the investigators will also pilot test a sequenced implementation strategy. This strategy focuses on promoting engagement, building partnerships, and creating sustainability. In Years 1 and 2, the investigators will collect de-identified treatment as usual data gathered by participating centers, and work with their advisory board and partners to adapt BH-Works policy, content, practices, and workflow. Starting in Year 2, the investigators will train staff/providers in suicide risk management, family engagement and affirmative care. In Years 3 and 4 (no cost extension year), the investigators will test the adapted SGM BH-Works Program and examine several essential program targets (training impact, partnership development, software usability) and outcomes (successful referral, program satisfaction, caregiver involvement, suicide identification).

Conditions

• Suicide
• Engagement, Patient

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

The Behavioral Health-Works Suicide Prevention Program for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

BH-Works is a web-based, comprehensive program for suicide prevention. The BH-Works program is a systems-level intervention that provides tools and resources to make organization adoption more feasible.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mazzoni Health Center

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Thomas Jefferson University

  collaborator OTHER

• Carilion Clinic

  collaborator OTHER

• Diversity Camp, Inc.

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jody M. Russon, PhD · Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

14 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-07-24

Primary Completion

2025-03-21

Completion

2025-03-21

Countries

• United States

Study Locations