Establishing Efficacy of an Inpatient Intervention and Phone App to Reduce Suicidal Risk (ASAP+BRITE)

As Safe As Possible (ASAP): A Balanced, Two-by-Two Design To Test Conjoint and Unique Efficacy of an Inpatient Intervention and an Emotion Regulation/Safety Planning App in Preventing Suicide Attempts Post-Discharge

In this 2-site study, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC), the investigators will conduct a randomized clinical trial (RCT) in 240 psychiatrically hospitalized suicidal adolescents, examining the single and additive effects of two components of an inpatient unit intervention for suicidal adolescents, As Safe As Possible (ASAP), which focuses on emotion regulation and safety planning, and an emotion regulation/safety plan phone app (BRITE).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Suicidal Ideation; Suicide, Attempted
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: ASAP (As Safe As Possible); Behavioral: BRITE smart phone app; Behavioral: TAU (treatment as usual)

Detailed Description

The investigators aim to randomize 240 adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized for suicidal ideation with a plan or a suicide attempt to one of four treatment arms: (1) ASAP + BRITE + TAU (treatment as usual); (2) BRITE + TAU (treatment as usual); (3) ASAP + TAU (treatment as usual); and (4) TAU (treatment as usual) alone. The investigators will assess suicidal ideation and behavior at 4, 12, and 24 weeks post-intake, in order to:

1. Assess the relative efficacy of ASAP, BRITE and the combination on suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide attempts, and re-hospitalizations.
2. Examine mediators and moderators of treatment outcome.
3. Examine the costs and cost efficacy of ASAP and BRITE and the combination.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 241
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
      • University of Pittsburgh
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75390
      • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Youth admitted to the inpatient unit at either site for a recent suicide attempt or significant suicidal ideation with a plan or intent.
• The youth and parent are able to complete assessments in English, and the youth is able to complete therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The youth currently exhibits psychosis.
• The youth currently exhibits mania.
• The youth is currently <85% of their ideal body weight.
• The youth is intellectually incapable of completing the study, e.g. has an intelligence quotient (IQ) < 70.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ASAP + BRITE + TAU (treatment as usual); Participants in this arm receive the ASAP (As Safe As Possible) intervention, during their transition from inpatient to outpatient care, as well as the BRITE smart phone app for distress tolerance/emotion regulation and safety planning. Participants will also receive usual treatment protocols that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry program receive. Participants complete paper safety plans as part of their regular treatment, which is a standard of care for suicidal youth.	Behavioral: ASAP (As Safe As Possible); ASAP (As Safe As Possible) is a brief intervention for adolescents hospitalized for suicide risk that focuses on the development of a safety plan, teaching emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, along with 1-2 post-discharge follow-up calls to encourage adherence to use of the safety plan and to outpatient treatment.; Behavioral: BRITE smart phone app; BRITE is a smart phone app that aims to support daily emotion regulation and a safety plan that is personalized to the needs and preferences of each adolescent.; Behavioral: TAU (treatment as usual); TAU (treatment as usual) is the standard treatment that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry Program receive.
Experimental: BRITE + TAU (treatment as usual); Participants in this arm will receive the BRITE smart phone app for distress tolerance/emotion regulation and safety planning as they proceed from inpatient to outpatient care, in addition to usual treatment protocols that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry program receive. Participants complete paper safety plans as part of their regular treatment, which is a standard of care for suicidal youth.	Behavioral: BRITE smart phone app; BRITE is a smart phone app that aims to support daily emotion regulation and a safety plan that is personalized to the needs and preferences of each adolescent.; Behavioral: TAU (treatment as usual); TAU (treatment as usual) is the standard treatment that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry Program receive.
Experimental: ASAP + TAU (treatment as usual); Participants in this arm will receive the ASAP (As Safe As Possible) intervention during their transition from inpatient to outpatient care, in addition to usual treatment protocols that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry program receive. Participants complete paper safety plans as part of their regular treatment, which is a standard of care for suicidal youth.	Behavioral: ASAP (As Safe As Possible); ASAP (As Safe As Possible) is a brief intervention for adolescents hospitalized for suicide risk that focuses on the development of a safety plan, teaching emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, along with 1-2 post-discharge follow-up calls to encourage adherence to use of the safety plan and to outpatient treatment.; Behavioral: TAU (treatment as usual); TAU (treatment as usual) is the standard treatment that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry Program receive.
Active Comparator: TAU (treatment as usual) alone; Participants in this grouping are studied as they proceed from inpatient to outpatient care, per usual treatment protocols at each site. Participants complete paper safety plans as part of their regular treatment, which is a standard of care for suicidal youth.	Behavioral: TAU (treatment as usual); TAU (treatment as usual) is the standard treatment that all adolescents admitted to their respective Inpatient Psychiatry Program receive.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participants With Actual Suicide Attempts as Defined by Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)	Compare the 4 cells on the rate of actual suicide attempts and time to suicide attempt. Suicide attempt assessed with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)	1 - 24 weeks
Suicidal Events	Defined as actual, aborted, or interrupted attempt based on the the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and or rehospitalization.	1 to 24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• Collaborators: University of Pittsburgh; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Beth D. Kennard, PsyD, UT Southwestern Medical Center; Principal Investigator: David A Brent, MD, University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Kennard BD, Biernesser C, Wolfe KL, Foxwell AA, Craddock Lee SJ, Rial KV, Patel S, Cheng C, Goldstein T, McMakin D, Blastos B, Douaihy A, Zelazny J, Brent DA. Developing a Brief Suicide Prevention Intervention and Mobile Phone Application: a Qualitative Report. J Technol Hum Serv. 2015 Oct 1;33(4):345-357. doi: 10.1080/15228835.2015.1106384. Epub 2015 Dec 14.
• Kennard BD, Goldstein T, Foxwell AA, McMakin DL, Wolfe K, Biernesser C, Moorehead A, Douaihy A, Zullo L, Wentroble E, Owen V, Zelazny J, Iyengar S, Porta G, Brent D. As Safe as Possible (ASAP): A Brief App-Supported Inpatient Intervention to Prevent Postdischarge Suicidal Behavior in Hospitalized, Suicidal Adolescents. Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Sep 1;175(9):864-872. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17101151. Epub 2018 Jul 19. Erratum In: Am J Psychiatry. 2019 Sep 1;176(9):764. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.1769correction.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 15, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): December 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 10, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): January 31, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Injurious Behavior; Suicide; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide, Attempted
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU 112016-057

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No