Implementation of a Caregiver-Report Suicide-Risk Screener in Children Under Age 8 in a Behavioral Health Center

Implementation of a Caregiver-Report Suicide-Risk Screener in Children Under Age 8 in a Behavioral Health Center: A Pilot Study

This project addresses the pressing need for tools to identify suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children aged 4-7. Although young children can experience STBs, current screening tools and guidelines often overlook this age group, partly due to challenges in directly assessing young children. The investigators developed a promising caregiver-report screener that identified at-risk children. This study will evaluate the screener's feasibility and effectiveness in clinical settings, gather feedback from clinicians and caregivers, and refine the screening process. The goal is to facilitate early intervention, improving mental health care and outcomes for young children.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Information Dissemination
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: SITB information

Detailed Description

This project aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a caregiver-report suicide risk (STB) screening tool for children under age 8. Despite the rising rates of STBs in young children, tools for identifying at-risk individuals in this age group are limited, and significant resistance remains to screening children for STBs. Given the challenges in directly assessing young children and the lack of validated tools, the investigators developed a caregiver-report screener to detect early signs of STBs. Preliminary data indicate that this screener is both sensitive and specific, showing promise in identifying at-risk children. The proposed study will evaluate the implementation of this screener in a child behavioral health clinic, obtaining qualitative and quantitative feedback from both clinicians and caregivers to refine the screener and its integration into clinical workflows. Additionally, the investigators will assess how clinicians use the screener results in diagnostic and treatment planning. This study will provide critical insights into barriers and best practices for STB screening in young children, ultimately improving early identification and clinical care for at-risk youth.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Recruiting
      • Washington University School of Medicine
      • Contact: Laura Hennefield Hennefield, PhD; Phone Number: 314-286-2705; Email: lhennefield@wustl.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• licensed mental health clinician (e.g., LPC, LMSW, LCSW, MD) in the Hermann Center
• provides care to children 4-7 years of age
• provides care through the Early Child Intervention, Early Psychiatric Care, or Trauma Response program
• must be currently seeing and/or accepting new patients

Exclusion Criteria:

• none

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Screening
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: information group; receives additional information about childhood SITBs	Other: SITB information; childhood SITB information
No Intervention: no information group; does not receive additional information about childhood SITBs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinician report of SITB screen acceptability	Interview data from clinicians will be qualitatively analyzed to identify patterns in feedback related to acceptability of the screen.	From time of intervention until the follow-up interviews 3-4 months later.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinician report of hesitancies regarding use of SITB screen	Interview data from clinicians will be qualitatively analyzed to identify patterns in feedback related to hesitancies with including the screen in the intake packet.	From time of intervention until the follow-up interviews 3-4 months later.
Clinicians' incorporation of SITB Screen in Child Treatment Plans	Interview data from clinicians will be qualitatively analyzed to identify patterns in feedback related clinician's incorporation of the SITB screen results into their treatment plans.	From time of intervention until the follow-up interviews 3-4 months later.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 26, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 202501012; UL1TR002345 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: This is a very small pilot study with minimal resources for data sharing.

Drug and device information, study documents

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