Effects of Community-based Caring Contact on Post-discharge Young Adults With Self-harm

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Suicide and Self Inflicted Injury; Self Inflicted Injury

Treatments: Behavioral: Volunteer support; Other: Mobile app

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03081078

HKU-ECS-27612816

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study will determine whether community-based caring contact via a mobile app connection with or without volunteer support in addition to treatment as usual (psychiatric and psychosocial treatments) has an effect on suicidal ideation and treatment compliance among post-discharge self-harm young adults.

Full description

The proposed study will determine whether community-based caring contact via a mobile app connection with or without volunteer support in addition to treatment as usual (TAU; psychiatric and psychosocial treatments) is effective in reducing suicidal ideation, enhancing treatment compliance, reducing thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness and hopelessness among post-discharge self-harm young adults, and if personalized contact by volunteers has additional effects reducing suicidal ideation among post-discharge self-harm individuals.

108 participants aged 18-45 with an index self-harm episode will be recruited from the Accident & Emergency Department (AED) of 4 local public hospitals, and randomized into the TAU, mobile app group with, and without volunteer support. Each participant will complete a questionnaire at the 4 measurement time points at baseline (T0), one-month (T1) and the end of the 2-month intervention period (T2), and post-intervention at the three-month point (T3) from the baseline. The primary outcomes include Suicidal ideation, hopelessness, thwarted belongingness & perceived burdensomeness, treatment (TAU) compliance, and suicidality.

Enrollment: 108 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Individuals with an index episode of self-poisoning or self-injury with or without suicide intent, based on the ICD-10 codes for self-harm with and without suicide intent (i.e., X60 to X84 and R45.8)
• Admission to the AEDs at the 4 collaborating public hospitals in Hong Kong (United Christian Hospital, North District Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital)
• Mentally well assessed by a psychiatrist or Consultation Liaison Nurses (CLNs)
• Capable of providing written Informed Consent Form

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals with DSM-IV-TR Axis II disorder; or
• Individuals with severe psychotic mental illness or bipolar disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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108 participants in 3 patient groups

TAU w/ mobile app + volunteer support

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be receiving usual medical treatment from the hospitals with a mobile app engagement intervention, plus support from volunteers.

Treatment:

Other: Mobile app

Behavioral: Volunteer support

TAU w/ mobile app engagement

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be receiving usual medical treatment from the hospitals with a mobile app engagement intervention.

Treatment:

Other: Mobile app

Treatment as Usual (TAU)

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will be receiving usual medical treatment from the hospitals, and without the interventions (i.e., mobile app and/or volunteer support) introduced through this randomized control trial.