HAVEN-Connect Youth Suicide Prevention (HAVEN)

A Multi-Generational Suicide Prevention Program in African American Churches

HAVEN=CONNECT is a comprehensive depression and suicide prevention intervention that is designed to be integrated into predominantly Black churches, a strategically ideal location for mental health intervention for Black youth. HAVEN=CONNECT has three components: (1) Church Community Engagement: an interactive process of introducing the program to key church leaders and stakeholder groups. (2) Faith-Based Curriculum: educational overview for pastors, other ministerial staff and youth lay leaders on how to integrate the program into the church using communication mediums that have cultural and religious relevance in the Black Church context. (3) Youth-Connect Intervention: The goals of this project are to test the impact of HAVEN=CONNECT (HAVEN) on key intervention targets, hypothesized mediators, and build a research-informed implementation strategy for future large-scale testing.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Suicide Prevention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: HAVEN-Connect; Behavioral: HAVEN Suicide Prevention

Detailed Description

Aim 1: Efficacy. The investigators will implement HAVEN in 12 churches using a cluster randomized waitlist design and enroll 240 adolescents (ages 13-19). The investigators hypothesize that adolescents in HAVEN churches vs. those in wait-listed churches will have decreased depression symptoms (primary outcome) and suicide risk scores at 1-month and 6-month follow-up after the start of the multi-component HAVEN. Suicide risk will be a secondary outcome due to lower expected statistical power to detect impact vs. depression. The investigators also expect HAVEN to decrease other mental health symptoms that are secondary outcomes (e.g., anxiety). The investigators will test for differences by gender, age, and level of depression and suicide risk at baseline.

Aim 2: Mechanisms. The second aim is to test hypothesized mediators of HAVEN impact. It is hypothesized that HAVEN will increase (a) adolescents' positive bonds to peers and adults in their church, perceptions of cohesion, and healthy norms in those networks; (b) emotional and behavior self-regulation, and (c) increased use of mental health services (H1). HAVEN impact on reducing depression and suicide risk will be mediated by those changes (H2).

Aim 3: Implementation. The investigators will identify implementation barriers and facilitators by examining adherence data (i.e., completion of HAVEN steps and clergy/member engagement) and then gathering qualitative data from a subset of 4 churches, 2 identified as implementing HAVEN with high adherence and 2 with lower adherence. This aim involves semi-structured key informant interviews. The investigators will also train church and community members as HAVEN=CONNECT co-trainers, assess their fidelity of training using existing fidelity measures, as part of this aim on identifying strategies for sustaining HAVEN after the end of the grant period and for scalability.

Primary outcome variable for Youth: Suicide risk & depression Secondary outcome variable for Youth: Anxiety Mediators for Youth: mental health service use, emotion regulation skills, stressful life events, adolescent experiences with discrimination, peer networks, help-seeking acceptability, group cohesion, healthy peer norms and behaviors, trusted adult networks, Helpfulness of Adults with emotions, positive communication with parents, demographic information.

Adult mediators: satisfaction with training, retention of skills, intention to use skills in personal life and with youth, adoption of skills, experience engaging youth with skills, and adult peer network.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 240
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sherry D Molock, Ph.D., M.Div.; Phone Number: 13017516217; Email: smolock@gwu.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Sidney Hankerson, MD; Phone Number: 212 659-8838; Email: Sidney.Hankerson@mountsinai.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10029
      • Recruiting
      • Mt. Sinai Hospital; Ichon School of Medicine
      • Contact: Sidney Hankerson, MD, MBA; Phone Number: 212-659-8838; Email: Sidney.Hankerson@mountsinai.org
      • Contact: Crystal Clarke, MPH; Phone Number: 212-659-8838; Email: Crystal.Clarke@mountsinai.org
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642-0002
      • Recruiting
      • University of Rochester Medical Center
      • Contact: Peter Wyman, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 585-784-8200; Email: peter_wyman@urmc.rochester.edu
      • Contact: Karen Schmeelk-Cone, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 585-275-6428; Email: Karen_SchmeelkCone@urmc.rochester.ed

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria: For churches:

1. 75% of members self-identify as Black or African American,
2. 75% are fluent in English.

Exclusion Criteria for Youth:

1. self-identify as Black/African American,
2. 13-19 years old, are fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria: Churches:

1. 25%+ of members self-identify as non-Black or African American
2. 25%+ are not fluent in English.

Exclusion Criteria for Youth:

1. do not self-identify as Black/African American,
2. are younger than 13 or older than 19.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: HAVEN Intervention Group; Participants receive HAVEN Connect intervention	Behavioral: HAVEN-Connect; Youth-Connect Program for adolescents/emerging adults and Connect training for adult members is a strength-based network health depression and suicide prevention program. Participants learn together about and model skills to each other to grow and sustain "Four Cores" supportive of mental health and reduced likelihood of vulnerability to suicidal thoughts: (1) Healthy relationships and accountability spanning friendship, community and family relationships (Kinship); (2) Meaning and value in life (Purpose); (3) Informal and formal help-seeking (Guidance); and (4) Activities that give strength and balance emotions (Balance). Modules include self-assessment of strength areas, needs and using Four Cores to manage challenging emotions. Group skill-building activities identify strengths of all members, and members learn how a strong network supports all members' well-being. The training uses active learning including high energy activities and peer-to-peer teaching.
Placebo Comparator: HAVEN Wait List Control Group; On 6-month wait list where they only receive text messages	Behavioral: HAVEN Suicide Prevention; Connect was developed to extend Sources of Strength, an evidence-based suicide prevention program that trains key opinion leaders to disseminate a model of healthy coping to peers, which has been implemented in over 80 secondary schools in New York State. Connect uses a multiple-session group training to build suicide protection at individual and group levels. The first version, Wingman-Connect was developed for young Air Force personnel in training (20% Black or multiracial).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Kiddie-Computerized Adaptive Testing for Mental Disorders	Measures depressive symptoms and suicide risk; it asks fewer questions than traditional suicide screeners because it is response adaptive. Instead of fixing the items and allowing the precision of measurement to vary, the authors fix the precision of measurement and allow the items to vary. The K-CAT adaptively selects a small set of items from a large item-bank of 2,120 items, using a 4-point Likert scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). The results yield four metrics: 1) a severity score ranging from 0 - 100, with 0 representing the lowest severity, and 100 representing the highest severity. The prompt for each question is: "In the past two weeks..." Sample items include: "I felt worthless" I felt everyone would be better off without me" .	baseline, 1- and 6-month followup

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Kiddie-Computerized Adaptive Testing for Mental Disorders.	Description: Measures anxiety symptoms. it asks fewer questions than traditional suicide screeners because it is response adaptive. Instead of fixing the items and allowing the precision of measurement to vary, the authors fix the precision of measurement and allow the items to vary. The K-CAT adaptively selects a small set of items from a large item-bank of 2,120 items, using a 4-point Likert scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree). The prompt for each question is: "In the past two weeks..." Sample items include: I worried more than I needed to I felt uneasy much of the time It is hard for me to relax My worries overwhelmed me	baseline, 1- and 6-month followup

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Demographic Questionnaire	Measures demographic characteristics of sample (e.g., age, race, gender, gender identity, GPA, etc.). Will be used to describe characteristics of sample and to ascertain if demographic groups respond differently to the prevention program (e.g.., age or gender differences in response to the program.	baseline
General Training Satisfaction Questionnaire	Adult participants receive a brief set of questions to assess general satisfaction. with the program, n of items = 3. measured on a Likert scale: (0 = not at all - 3 = very much) score range = 0-9 with high scores interpreted as being high training satisfaction.	baseline (immediately following training
Retention of Skills Questionnaire	Adult participants will receive a brief set of questions to assess perceptions of the training, retention and adoption of training information, and use of concepts in life. n of items = 7. measured on a dichotomous scale: (0 = false, 1 = True) score range = 0-7 with high scores interpreted as high retention of skills learned from the prevention program.	baseline (immediately after training), 3-month follow-up
Intention to use HAVEN-Connect Skills Questionnaire	Assess perceptions of intention to use the skills learned in the HAVEN prevention program. n of items = 7, measured on a Likert scale: (0 = strongly disagree to 100 = strongly agree). score range = 0-100 (calculate the mean score), with high scores interpreted as having high intentions to use newly acquired skills gained from the training sessions.	baseline (immediately after training), 3-month follow-up
Intention to Use Skills with Youth Questionnaire	Assess intentions to use newly acquired skills with youth in the future. n of items = 5, measured on a Likert scale: (0 = strongly disagree to 100 = strongly agree). score range = 0-100 (calculate the mean score), with high scores interpreted as having high intentions to use newly acquired skills gained from the training sessions with youth	baseline (immediately after training), 3-month follow-up
Adoption of Skills Questionnaire	Assess perceptions of the training, retention and adoption of training information, and use of concepts in life. n of items = 5, measured on a Likert scale: (0 = strongly disagree to 100 = strongly agree). score range = 0-100 (calculate the mean score), with high scores interpreted as believing the person will adopt the skills acquired through the program to daily life.	baseline (immediately after training), 3-month follow-up
Experience Engaging Youth with Skills Questionnaire	Assess use of core concepts in interactions with youth. n of items = 5, measured on a Likert scale: (0 = strongly disagree to 100 = strongly agree). score range = 0-100 (calculate the mean score), with high scores interpreted as having high intentions to actively engage the youth with newly acquired skills gained from the training sessions.	baseline (immediately after training), 3-month follow-up
Adult Peer Network Questionnaire	Adults nominate close friends at church. Asked to name up to 7 adults who serve as a support network for the adults. Range is from 0-7. Higher numbers indicate more peers in peer network.	baseline, 3-month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: George Washington University
• Collaborators: University of Rochester; Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sherry D Molock, Ph.D., M.Div., George Washington University, Dept of Psychological & Brain Sciences; Principal Investigator: Sidney Hankerson, MD, MBA, Mt. Sinai Icheon School of Medicine - Psychiatry; Principal Investigator: Peter Wyman, Ph.D., University of Rochester Medical Center - Psychiatry

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wyman PA, Pisani AR, Brown CH, Yates B, Morgan-DeVelder L, Schmeelk-Cone K, Gibbons RD, Caine ED, Petrova M, Neal-Walden T, Linkh DJ, Matteson A, Simonson J, Pflanz SE. Effect of the Wingman-Connect Upstream Suicide Prevention Program for Air Force Personnel in Training: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Oct 1;3(10):e2022532. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22532.
• Molock SD, Matlin S, Barksdale C, Puri R, Lyles J. Developing suicide prevention programs for African American youth in African American churches. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2008 Jun;38(3):323-33. doi: 10.1521/suli.2008.38.3.323.
• Hankerson SH, Weissman MM. Church-based health programs for mental disorders among African Americans: a review. Psychiatr Serv. 2012 Mar;63(3):243-9. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100216.
• Gibbons RD, Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Lahey BB, George-Milford BA, Biernesser CL, Porta G, Moore TL, Kim JB, Brent DA. Computerized Adaptive Tests for Rapid and Accurate Assessment of Psychopathology Dimensions in Youth. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020 Nov;59(11):1264-1273. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.08.009. Epub 2019 Aug 26.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 3, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 11, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Black youth; suicide prevention; church based prevention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Self-Injurious Behavior; Suicide; Behavior; Suicide Prevention
• Other Study ID Numbers: TBT-0-010-21

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The final data set will include demographic information, outcome data (suicide ideation and attempts, depression, anxiety, PTSD) and possible mediators, including mental health service utilization, peer networks, help-seeking acceptability, peer norms, trusted adult network, etc. Data products will be made available without costs to researchers. User registration is required in order to access or download files. Users must agree to the conditions of use governing access to the public release data, including restrictions against attempting to identify study participants, destruction of the data after analyses are completed, reporting responsibilities, restrictions on redistribution of the data to third parties, and proper acknowledgement of the data resource. Registered users will receive user support, information related to errors in the data, future releases, workshops, and publication lists. Data cannot be used for commercial purposes or distributed to third parties
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Start Date: June 1, 2029 How long: 2years
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Registered users will have access to: demographic information, outcome data (suicide ideation and attempts, depression, anxiety, PTSD) and possible mediators, including mental health service utilization, peer networks, help-seeking acceptability, peer norms, trusted adult network, etc. Data products will be made available without costs to researchers. Can access data by contacting the PI, who will provide a link to the data.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

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