Piloting a Culturally Adapted Suicide Prevention for Black Students in Chicago

NCT ID: NCT07125144

Last Updated: 2025-08-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 300 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-01-30
• Study Completion Date: 2026-07-31

Brief Summary

Suicide has been the third leading cause of death for Black youth in the U.S since the 1980s and persists as a leading cause of death for Black youth today. For example, in 2018 suicide was reported as the 2nd leading cause of death among Black Americans ages 10 to14 years old. Findings yielded from recent queries indicate that the gap in suicides among Black males and female youth has narrowed in recent years. Despite these disturbing trends, a dearth persists in our understanding of the factors that contribute to and prevent against suicide in Black youth, thus diminishing researchers' ability to effectively detect suicide risk in this particular population. This project aims to redress this gap by proposing the cultural adaptation of an existing suicide prevention intervention, the Signs of Suicide (SOS) prevention program, for Black middle school students. Our team will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial among a sample of Black middle school students to assess feasibility and

examine underlying mechanisms that contribute to suicidality among Black youth. Intervention content will be adapted to assess how topics of racial identity, racial socialization, and racial discrimination uniquely impact Black youth's mental health experiences and risk for suicide. Measures of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempt will be assessed at pre-test, post-test, and 3-months after the intervention. Findings derived from this project will contribute to public health priorities by offering unique insight into the factors that either prevent or promote suicide among Black youth and could be replicated in other schools serving Black students across the nation.

Conditions

Suicide; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide Attempt

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Standard/Existing Intervention

Students attending schools assigned to the Standard/Existing Intervention condition will receive the existing Signs of Suicide intervention.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Signs of Suicide: Standard/Existing

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Students attending schools assigned to the Standard/Existing Intervention condition will receive the Signs of Suicide curriculum.

Culturally Adapted Intervention

Students attending schools assigned to the Culturally Adapted Intervention condition will receive a new culturally adapted intervention developed for this study.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Black Youth Suicide Prevention in Chicago

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The Culturally Adapted intervention uses intervention video content that specifically addresses topics that shape Black youth's psychological wellbeing and development. The goal of this intervention is to share suicide prevention information in ways that are culturally responsive and attentive to the specific needs of Black adolescents.

Interventions

Black Youth Suicide Prevention in Chicago

The Culturally Adapted intervention uses intervention video content that specifically addresses topics that shape Black youth's psychological wellbeing and development. The goal of this intervention is to share suicide prevention information in ways that are culturally responsive and attentive to the specific needs of Black adolescents.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Signs of Suicide: Standard/Existing

Students attending schools assigned to the Standard/Existing Intervention condition will receive the Signs of Suicide curriculum.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade at a participating school

Exclusion Criteria

• Not enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade at a participating school

• Minimum Eligible Age: 11 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 15 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Chicago

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Janelle Goodwill

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Janelle R. Goodwill, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Chicago

Locations

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Janelle R Goodwill, PhD

Role: CONTACT

jgoodwill@uchicago.edu

773-834-5114

Miwa Yasui, PhD

Role: CONTACT

myasui@uchicago.edu

773-702-5187

Other Identifiers

R34MH129789

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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R34MH129789

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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