Suicide Risk - Mechanisms of Proximal Suicide Risk

Purpose

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults in the United States. Some types of thinking patterns and feelings may differ in people with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts. However, not enough is known about how the brain influences the way people feel, like how people help themselves feel better.

The purpose of this study is to better understand how people’s thinking affects their feelings, and how this might be related to risk for (or protection against) suicidal thinking and behavior.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

1) Are 18-30 years old,

2) Have experienced a period of depression, and

3) Have experienced thoughts about suicide or wished you were dead within the past month.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please take this confidential pre-screening survey so we can determine if you are eligible: https://redcap.link/PARCstudy

Keywords: suicidal ideation, survey, clinical interviews, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys, questionnaires, remote, in-lab, paid, pre-screening survey, pre-screening phone call

Study Sites

3620 McClintock Ave, SGM 907, Los Angeles, CA 90089

 
  • Men & Women
Age icon
18 - 30
 
 

Before contacting the lab to ask about eligibility, please fill out our pre-screening survey: https://redcap.link/PARCstudy

If you are eligible to participate in the study, someone from the lab will reach out to you to set up a phone call to discuss the study and give you more details about participation.

If you would like to learn more about the study, please go to our website (https://dornsife.usc.edu/labs/car-lab) or contact the lab at parcstudy@usc.edu.

OR
 

What's involved?

Study length

  • 4 months

Number of visits

  • There are four sessions in this study:

  • 1) A clinical interview and self-report questionnaires on a computer.

  • 2) Training on a week-long portion of the study involving completing several brief surveys on your phone each day, across nine days when you will be wearing an activity watch and an athletic shirt.

  • 3) In-lab visit where you will complete tasks on a computer while we measure heart rate and respiration.

  • 4) Follow-up interview and questionnaires by phone one year after your first interview.

Prescription

  • None

Procedures

  • Surveys

  • Clinical interview

  • Questionnaires

  • Watching videos

  • Computer tasks

  • Measure heart rate and breathing

Compensation

  • Compensation is available for successful completion of study visits.

Medical cost coverage

  • None

Why participate?

Improving our understanding of how people regulate their emotions in everyday life may lead to new interventions for suicide prevention.

Eligibility

Must have

  • 18-30 years old
  • Meeting DSM-5 criteria for lifetime MDD, with suicidal ideation at some point in the last month
  • Be in good physical health
  • Either be unmedicated OR on stable treatments for 30 days

Can't have

  • No suicide attempt in the past month
  • Cannot be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, psychosis, autism, eating disorder, or intellectual disability
  • No drug or alcohol abuse/dependence in the last 6 months
  • Cannot currently be pregnant
  • Cannot have metal in your body
  • Cannot have a chronic medical condition

About This Study

Your participation in this study will involve four sessions, three sessions are completed by video (e.g., Zoom) or phone and one session is completed in our lab, each lasting 1-3 hours. You will also complete surveys on your phone several times each day for nine days while wearing an activity watch and an athletic shirt. Your participation will include completing a clinical interview, doing questionnaires, completing computer tasks in lab, and a one-year follow-up with a phone interview and questionnaires.

The Risks

There are minimal risks from participating in this study. The most common risks are temporarily experiencing difficult emotions during the clinical interview, when you are answering questionnaires, or while you complete computer tasks and watch videos. Other risks include using your smartphone in an unsafe way, the devices causing temporary physical discomfort, disclosure of suicidality, a potential loss of confidentiality, and disclosure of risk if there is an immediate threat to the safety of yourself or others.

Study Team

Circle silhouette
Principal Investigator
Jonathan Stange

For questions about this study, contact:

  • IRB number: UP-20-00799
  • Study posted on: January 15, 2021
  • Recruitment period: August 20, 2021

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