Group Interventions for Suicidal African Americans

Summary

The investigator is conducting a hybrid efficacy-effectiveness randomized controlled trial with low-income African American suicide attempters. Guided by the Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI), this pilot randomized controlled trial aims:

1. to determine if psychosocial group intervention (PGI) is more effective than enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) in reducing suicidal behavior (ideation, attempts; primary outcome) and improving its correlates (depressive symptoms, hopelessness, quality of life) (secondary outcomes) in low-income African Americans with a recent attempt.
2. to determine if PGI is more effective than ETAU at bolstering intrapersonal (I), social/situational (SS), and cultural/environmental (CE) risk and protective factors that mediate the condition-suicidal behavior and correlates link and thus serve as mechanisms of change.
3. to determine I, SS, and CE variables that moderate the condition-suicidal behavior link and thus serve as predictors of intervention outcome.

Hypothesis for Aim 1: At post-intervention and follow-up, PGI participants will evidence greater improvements in suicidal behavior and its correlates than those in ETAU.

Hypothesis for Aim 2: Changes in these risk and protective factors will account for condition effects on outcomes: (1) psychological distress, aggression, impulsivity, substance abuse, low self-esteem, and suicide acceptability (I-risk); (2) perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, relationship discord, intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization (SS-risk); (3) access to a weapon and barriers to service utilization (CE-risk); (4) reasons for living, optimism, positive ethnic identity, effective coping, and spiritual well-being (I-protective); (5) overall family health and social support from family and friends (SS-protective); and (6) religious involvement and effectiveness of obtaining resources (CE-protective).

Hypothesis for Aim 3: Individuals (1) having fewer Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) disorders and attachment styles characterized by positivity toward the self and others (I); (2) children and more limited trauma histories (SS); and (3) more daily hassles and less exposure to community disorder (CE) will evidence greater reductions in suicidal behavior and its correlates and greater enhancements in quality of life at post-intervention and follow-up.

Conditions

• Depression
• Mental Illness
• Suicide
• Suicidal Ideation

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

10 weekly group meetings

10 weekly group meetings with up to five other men and women at Grady Health System

BEHAVIORAL

Outpatient counseling and support groups

Usual mental health care

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Emory University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nadine Kaslow, PhD · Emory University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-05-31

Primary Completion

2017-05-31

Completion

2017-05-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations