Testing the Use of VA Peer Specialists to Prevent Veteran Suicide

NCT07286383 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 306

Last updated 2026-04-09

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study examines a novel way to prevent suicide among Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). It will assess the efficacy of PREVAIL-VA, a 3-month intervention of 12, one-on-one sessions between a Peer Specialist (PS) and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness, support, and safety. PSs are Veterans with SMI trained to use their own experience and recovery to help other Veterans with SMI. PSs have improved mental health outcomes in other research, but this study would be the first to test their efficacy for suicide prevention in VHA. The project will compare outcomes of Veterans at risk for suicide receiving usual care, to PREVAIL-VA. This work is responsive to national calls for Veterans with SMI to receive support that is evidence-based, improves recovery (not just symptoms), and is tailored to individual needs. If successful, PREVAIL-VA could be adopted by the 1400 Peer Specialists employed in VA, greatly increasing the delivery of evidence-based services to Veterans at risk for suicide.

Conditions

  • Suicide Risk

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

PREVAIL

12 session, peer specialist delivered, suicide prevention program

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
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-07-01
Primary Completion
2028-12-31
Completion
2029-12-31

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 NCT07286383 on ClinicalTrials.gov