Online Self-help for Students With Suicidal Ideation

Evaluation of an Unguided Web-based Intervention for Students With Suicidal Ideation

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an unguided web-based intervention for (college/university) students with suicidal ideation. This study will test the effectiveness by studying the effect on suicidal ideation and related outcomes (hopelessness and worrying) through a pre-post study design.

Study Overview

• Status: Withdrawn
• Conditions: Suicidal Ideation
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Unguided web-based intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Eva De Jaegere, Msc; Phone Number: +32 (0)9 332.07.75; Email: eva.dejaegere@ugent.be
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Pauline Stas, Msc; Phone Number: +32 (0)9 332.07.75; Email: pauline.stas@ugent.be

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Ghent, Belgium, 9000
    • Flemish Centre of Expertise in Suicide Prevention, Ghent University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be student at a university or college
• Have suicidal thoughts
• ≥ 18 years old
• Have access to internet and a computer/laptop/smartphone
• Speak Dutch

Exclusion Criteria:

• /

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Intervention group; Participants in this group (all participants) were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after (6 weeks after baseline) using the online self-help intervention (unguided web-based intervention).

Behavioral: Unguided web-based intervention; An online unguided intervention based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and elements of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Problem Solving Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. The intervention consists of 6 modules with each a theoretical part, a weekly assignment and (optional and mandatory) exercises. Participants are advised to complete one module weekly. The original intervention was adapted to students (language, addition of podcasts, examples that were more suited to their lives).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Suicidal ideation: Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation	A 21-item self-report questionnaire to measure (the severity of) suicidal ideation in adolescents and adults. Each item is rated on a scale from 0 to 2, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 38, with higher scores indicating more (severe) suicidal ideation.	Baseline (right before the intervention)
Suicidal ideation: Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation	A 21-item self-report questionnaire to measure (the severity of) suicidal ideation in adolescents and adults. Each item is rated on a scale from 0 to 2, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 38, with higher scores indicating more (severe) suicidal ideation.	posttest (6 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hopelessness: The Beck Hopelessness Scale, 4-item version	A 4-item self-report questionnaire to measure hopelessness in adolescents and adults. Each item is rated as 'true' (score = 1) or 'false' (score = 0) for them over the past week, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher levels of hopelessness.	Baseline (right before the intervention)
Hopelessness: The Beck Hopelessness Scale, 4-item version	A 4-item self-report questionnaire to measure hopelessness in adolescents and adults. Each item is rated as 'true' (score = 1) or 'false' (score = 0) for them over the past week, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher levels of hopelessness.	posttest (6 weeks after baseline)
Worrying: Penn State Worry Questionnaire Past Week	A 15-item self-report questionnaire to measure worrying in the past week. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 6 ("almost always").	Baseline (right before the intervention)
Worrying: Penn State Worry Questionnaire Past Week	A 15-item self-report questionnaire to measure worrying in the past week. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 6 ("almost always").	posttest (6 weeks after baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Ghent
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gwendolyn Portzky, PhD, University Ghent

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 8, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 2, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): December 5, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 11, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Injurious Behavior; Suicide; Suicidal Ideation
• Other Study ID Numbers: EC/BC-11287

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