Caring Letters for Military Suicide Prevention
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Psychiatric |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 8/25/2018 |
| Start Date: | November 2011 |
| End Date: | August 2018 |
Caring Letters for Military Suicide Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The purpose of this multi-site randomized controlled trial is to determine if the Caring
Letters intervention is effective in preventing suicide and suicidal behaviors among U.S.
Service Members and Veterans. The primary aim of this project is determine whether caring
communications following inpatient psychiatric treatment reduce suicide and self-inflicted
injuries among U.S. military personnel and Veterans. The investigators will also explore
treatment utilization by comparing the frequency of treatment visits after enrollment into
the study. The following specific hypotheses will be tested:
Hypothesis 1: During a two year follow-up after the index hospital discharge, the frequency
of suicide will be lower among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to those in
the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 2: The frequency of medically admitted self-inflicted injuries will also be lower
in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 3: The time to suicidal act, among those who do subsequently exhibit one, will be
longer among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
Letters intervention is effective in preventing suicide and suicidal behaviors among U.S.
Service Members and Veterans. The primary aim of this project is determine whether caring
communications following inpatient psychiatric treatment reduce suicide and self-inflicted
injuries among U.S. military personnel and Veterans. The investigators will also explore
treatment utilization by comparing the frequency of treatment visits after enrollment into
the study. The following specific hypotheses will be tested:
Hypothesis 1: During a two year follow-up after the index hospital discharge, the frequency
of suicide will be lower among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to those in
the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 2: The frequency of medically admitted self-inflicted injuries will also be lower
in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
Hypothesis 3: The time to suicidal act, among those who do subsequently exhibit one, will be
longer among participants in the Caring Letters group compared to the Usual Care group.
This social/ behavioral study is a five year multi-site randomized controlled trial that will
compare the Caring Letters intervention (with usual care) to usual care without the caring
letters. Participants will be recruited from inpatient psychiatry units of collaborating
military and Veterans Affairs (VA) sites and randomized to either a group that receives
letters (Caring Letters group) or a group that does not receive letters (Usual Care group).
The methodology of the intervention is updated with emails instead of postal letters. This
study fills an important gap in the evidence base for the Caring Letter intervention through
a methodologically rigorous research design.
compare the Caring Letters intervention (with usual care) to usual care without the caring
letters. Participants will be recruited from inpatient psychiatry units of collaborating
military and Veterans Affairs (VA) sites and randomized to either a group that receives
letters (Caring Letters group) or a group that does not receive letters (Usual Care group).
The methodology of the intervention is updated with emails instead of postal letters. This
study fills an important gap in the evidence base for the Caring Letter intervention through
a methodologically rigorous research design.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Current psychiatric inpatients
- Possess an active email account
- Informed consent
- Active duty military, Veteran, Retiree, National Guard or Reserves status
Exclusion Criteria:
- Not competent to consent
- Adverse behavioral problems
- The primary psychiatric nurse or attending psychiatrist considers that study to be
clinically inappropriate
- Currently under arrest/incarceration
- Involuntary committed for psychiatric care status
We found this trial at
6
sites
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