Risk and Resilience to Suicide Following Late-Life Spousal Bereavement

NCT ID: NCT06191484

Last Updated: 2025-11-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

169 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-11-20

Study Completion Date

2029-12-01

Brief Summary

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The purpose of the RISE study is to examine how the 24-hour rhythm of sleep and social activity relate to mood and suicidal ideation among older adults that recently lost a spouse or life partner.

Detailed Description

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Experiencing the death of a spouse or life partner is a profoundly distressing event that may cause abrupt changes in one's daily routine, including decreased self-care and withdrawal from social activities. While most individuals adapt over time, a substantial number of older bereaved spouses (20-35%) experience depression, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, and early mortality, including death by suicide.

The objective of this study is to examine the risk for and resilience to late life suicide during the early spousal bereavement period by investigating the extent to which (1) social connectedness influences suicide risk and (2) whether circadian rhythm instability (inconsistent patterns of sleep, activity, meals, and socialization) helps explain this association.

The investigators will enroll 169 adults aged 60+ years who experienced the death of a spouse or life partner within the previous 12 months. All participants will complete repeated assessments of social connectedness, clinical assessments of depression and suicide ideation, and accelerometry recordings of the 24-hour pattern of sleep and activity. Participants will also complete a 3-month behavioral probe, designed to promote self-care behaviors in older bereaved spouses using technology and motivational health coaching. The behavioral probe targets circadian rhythm stability by focusing on regular routine of sleep, meals, and social activities. The behavioral probe will determine whether modifying social connectedness reduces suicide risk and whether circadian rhythm stability explains part of this association.

Conditions

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Suicide Bereavement

Keywords

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grief bereavement suicide geriatric health technology depression

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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WELL Behavioral Probe

Digital monitoring of sleep, meals, and social activity, for 3 months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

WELL Behavioral Probe

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participant record the timing and regularity of sleep, meals, and social activity twice daily, for 3 months, using a digital diary. Participants also receive weekly motivational health coaching.

Interventions

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WELL Behavioral Probe

Participant record the timing and regularity of sleep, meals, and social activity twice daily, for 3 months, using a digital diary. Participants also receive weekly motivational health coaching.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Bereaved \< or = to 12 months from spousal/partner loss
2. \> or = to 65 years old
3. Verified history of suicide attempt/attempts and/or current or past history of Major Depressive Disorder/Major Depressive Episode (MDD/MDE) (without psychotic features), or history of depression severe enough to trigger treatment, or current subsyndromal depression (\> or = to 9 HDRS)
4. No diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders/bipolar/current psychosis
5. Does not reside in nursing home
6. Not a current shift worker
7. No major cognitive impairment: TICS score of \> or = to 27

Exclusion Criteria

1. Bereaved \>12 months from spousal/partner bereavement
2. \< 65 years old
3. Patient is not spousal/partner bereaved (ex: parent, sibling, etc.)
4. Prior diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders/bipolar/current psychosis or medications listed indicate diagnosis of these disorders/MDD or MDE with psychotic features
5. Major cognitive impairment: TICS score of \<27
6. Current shift worker
7. Resides in a nursing home
8. Unstable medical condition (e.g., unstable angina, end stage renal disease)
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Sarah T. Stahl, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Assistant Professor of Clinical and Translational Science

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Sarah Stahl, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pittsburgh

Locations

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University of Pittsburgh (UPMC)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Emilee Croswell, BA

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 4124408418

Email: [email protected]

Sarah Stahl, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Emilee Croswell

Role: primary

Sarah Stahl

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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R01MH132114

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY23060037

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id