None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
RAFT is an SMS-based, brief contact intervention for people who have recently presented to hospital in suicidal crisis. RAFT sends a series of ‘caring contact’ messages with links to online therapeutic content. This trial will assess the benefits of linking participants with the RAFT online content relative to sending text messages alone and will also assess the benefit of sending information to a nominated support person. We hypothesise that linking participants with RAFT’s online content and including a nominated support person in the intervention will be associated with the greatest reduction in suicidal ideation.
Interventions
RAFT is an SMS-based intervention for people discharged from hospital for self-harm, suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt. RAFT sends a series of ‘caring contact’ text messages with links to online therapeutic content that targets proximal risk factors for self-harm and suicide, specifically: distressing thoughts, safety planning, emotional regulation, suicidal thoughts, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption. The therapeutic content was developed with input from lived experienc
RAFT is an SMS-based intervention for people discharged from hospital for self-harm, suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt. RAFT sends a series of ‘caring contact’ text messages with links to online therapeutic content that targets proximal risk factors for self-harm and suicide, specifically: distressing thoughts, safety planning, emotional regulation, suicidal thoughts, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption. The therapeutic content was developed with input from lived experience representatives and clinical experts and is designed to be ‘low intensity’. It provides suggestions for distraction techniques, safety planning templates, information on mindfulness, and a number of case studies that challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours in line with cognitive behavioural therapy. This optimisation trial will assess the benefits of receiving links to the RAFT therapeutic content relative to just receiving SMS ‘caring contact’ messages. The ‘caring contact’ text messages express the hope that the individual is doing well and invites them to reconnect with services if needed. Participants who receive links to the online resources are free to engage with them as little or as often as they wish. This trial will also assess whether providing online information to a nominated support person is beneficial. Participants will be randomised between two arms of the study: (a) a waitlist control group who will receive treatment as usual (TAU), and (b) an intervention using a 2x2 factorial design. Participants in the intervention group will be randomised between two factors: (a) participant receiving text messages Vs participant receiving text messages with links to online content, and (b) participant receiving messages Vs participant and nominated support person receiving messages. Participants in an intervention group will receive an automated text message at baseline, day 2, day 7, day 14, day 21 and day 28. Our IT system will collect information on which therapeutic content links are accessed and which online pages are viewed. Self-report data on recent self-harm, suicidal ideation, distress and functioning and recovery will be collected at baseline, at 5 weeks, and at 3 months. Data on repeat hospital presentations will be obtained from hospital records.
Sponsors
University of New South Wales
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
16 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Individuals are eligible to join the study if they: - Are currently aged between 16-65 years old. - Presented at a hospital within the last 7 days for self-harm, suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt. - Have a smart phone with an Australian phone number. - Provide their consent to participate, including consent to allow the research team to access their hospital medical records for 12 months prior to enrolment and 12 months post enrolment in the study.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals are excluded from participation if they: - Are not currently aged between 16 and 65 years old. - Presented to the hospital with psychotic symptoms. - Are not English literate.
Outcome results
None listed