Suicide Prevention
Conditions
Keywords
Suicide, Primary prevention, Vulnerable adolescents, Psychological distress
Brief summary
Suicide is one of the main causes of death among teenagers. Because it is preventable, primary prevention of suicide has become a public health priority, with encouraging results in promoting suicide awareness and reducing suicidal thoughts among adolescents. However, the lack of studies conducted among vulnerable populations (i.e., marginalised, disengaged and disadvantaged) is a major gap, even though these populations present an increased risk of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this project is to test the effectiveness of a brief primary suicide prevention intervention for vulnerable adolescents, using a randomised controlled trial. Vulnerable adolescents include those 1) detained in juvenile detention centres, 2) at risk of dropping out of school, 3) undergoing treatment for psychiatric disorders, 4) belonging to a sexual or gender diversity, 5) affected by chronic conditions, or 6) with relational/familial problems. The main aim is to test the effectiveness of the intervention on a composite measure of suicide awareness, psychological distress and suicidal thoughts. The project will also explore other issues that present challenges for vulnerable populations: access to primary suicide prevention and non-response bias. The study will provide relevant results to address the current lack of high-quality evidence for primary suicide prevention in adolescents.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPrimary suicide prevention intervention
Psychoeducation workshop
BEHAVIORALArt-based control intervention
Slam poetry workshop
Sponsors
Stephanie Baggio
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
14 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Vulnerable adolescents defined as being: 1) detained in juvenile detention centers, 2) disconnected from school, 3) in treatment for psychiatric disorders, 4) belonging to a sexual or gender minority, 5) affected by chronic conditions, or 6) with relational/familial problems. * Age 14 to 25 years old. * Good knowledge of French. * Accepting to sign the informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* The medical/educational staff considers that the intervention will interfere with appropriate management of acute psychiatric disorder or may cause harm to self or other. * Being enrolled in another suicide prevention intervention during the study period.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Composite measure of suicide awareness | One-week post-baseline | Nine-item perceived suicide awareness scale (PSAS-9), assessed on a 5-point scale, score ranging from 0 to 36, with a higher score indicating a higher suicide awareness |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge of local resources | One-week post-baseline; three-month post-baseline | Self-developed scale on local resources, 6 binary (true/false) questions, score ranging from 0 to 6, with a higher score indicating higher knowledge of local resources |
| Psychological distress | One-week post-baseline; three-month post-baseline | Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K-6), 6-item scale is assessed on a 5-point scale, with a score ranging from 0 to 24. A higher score indicates a higher level of psychological distress. |
| Access to primary suicide prevention | Baseline | Self-developed scale on primary suicide prevention training, 3 questions combined in a binary indicator (yes/no) |
| Attrition | Three-month post-baseline | Percentage of participants who drop out, continuous variable (0-100), with a higher percentage indicating a higher level of attrition |
| Composite measure of suicide awareness | Three-month post-baseline | Nine-item perceived suicide awareness scale (PSAS-9), assessed on a 5-point scale, score ranging from 0 to 36, with a higher score indicating a higher suicide awareness |
| Knowledge on suicide | One-week post-baseline; three-month post-baseline | Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS), 12 binary (true/false) questions, score ranging from 0 to 12, with a higher score indicating higher knowledge on suicide |
| Suicidal thoughts | One-week post-baseline; three-month post-baseline | Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS), 10 questions assessed on a 5-point scale, with a score ranging from 0 to 50. A higher score indicates a higher level of suicidal thoughts. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-reported distress (safety outcome) | One-week post-baseline | Composite outcome with two questions from Bailey et al. (2017, https://https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000465) related to the distressing and pleasurable nature of the intervention, assessed on a 5-point scale, score ranging from 0 to 8, a higher score indicating higher self-reported distress |
| Number of participants with serious adverse events (safety outcome) | One-month post baseline | Death, life-threatening event, and hospitalisation |
| Number of participants with adverse events (safety outcome) | One-month post baseline | Scarification, insomnia, appetite problems, substance use, and para-suicidal endangerment behaviors identified and reported by the local team |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
Primary ContactStéphanie Baggio, Prof.
Outcome results
None listed