Micro-randomized Trial to Assess Brief, Just-in-time Interventions for Reducing Short-term Suicide Risk
Massachusetts General Hospital
Summary
The goal of this study is to test the effects of just-in-time intervention strategies aimed to promote implementation of the safety plan and its components at different levels of suicidal urges and intent. The main questions the investigators aim to answer are: 1. What is the acceptability and feasibility of the just-in-time intervention strategies? 2. What are the proximal effects of just-in-time intervention strategies aimed to promote use of the safety plan and its components? 3. What internal and external contextual factors moderate the just-in-time intervention effects? Participants (adults hospitalized for suicidal thoughts or behaviors) will: * Answer questions about current suicidal thoughts on their smartphone up to 4 times each day during both hospitalization and the 4 weeks after they leave the hospital * Each time they submit a survey, be immediately randomized to receive (or not receive) a just-in-time intervention tailored to their level of current suicidal thoughts * Answer brief follow-up questions on their smartphone within a couple hours of each randomization * Provide feedback on their experience with the just-in-time interventions
Description
As the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, suicide is an alarmingly prevalent public health problem. The time period of highest risk for suicide and related behavior (SRB) is immediately (e.g., the weeks) following psychiatric hospitalization. Effective and scalable strategies for preventing SRB among individuals recently discharged from inpatient treatment are urgently needed. Encouragingly, brief evidence-based interventions now exist that reduce risk for suicide after acute psychiatric care. A primary example is safety planning, which involves developing a prioritized list of…