Focused Suicide Prevention Strategy for Youth (FSPS)

The Hospital for Sick Children

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Suicide, Attempted; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide

Treatments: Behavioral: F-SPS+UC; Behavioral: EUC

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03488602

1000056892

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates whether a Family-centered suicide prevention strategy, when added to usual care (F-SPS + UC), is more effective than enhanced usual care (EUC) in reducing suicide-related behaviors in 128 youth at high-risk of suicide. Half of the participants will be randomized to receive F-SPS + UC and half will receive EUC.

Full description

This is a RCT of a patient- and family-centered suicide prevention intervention added to usual care (F-SPS + UC) for adolescents aged 12 to 18 years who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with suicidal ideation or suicide risk behaviours. The investigators will determine whether the F-SPS + UC intervention is more effective than enhanced usual care (EUC) in reducing suicide-related behaviors in 128 youth at high-risk of suicide.

F-SPS is a 6-week, standardized, manualized outpatient program that teaches participants to the skills to manage suicidal thoughts and impulses effectively. The family component addresses conflictual relationships that may be present in the family as well as improving family communication.

Enhanced usual care consists of 6 weekly telephone calls to ensure that the participant has connected with community resources suggested by the ED team and provide additional resources as needed.

Enrollment: 128 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Ages 12 to18 years
• Youth presenting in the Emergency Department with acute suicidal ideation or suicide risk behaviour
• SIQ-Jr score ≥ 31
• Parent or caregiver able to communicate in English, or is willing to communicate using a hospital-organized translator, and willing to participate in study
• Living in the greater Toronto area and access to a telephone.

Exclusion criteria

• Active psychosis or hypomania/mania
• Moderate to severe intellectual disability, autism.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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128 participants in 2 patient groups

F-SPS Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

This group will receive the F-SPS intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: F-SPS+UC

Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will receive Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)

Treatment:

Behavioral: EUC