RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT05654207

WeCare: A System of Care for Black Youth

Answering the Alarm: A System of Care for Black Youth at Risk for Suicide

Sponsor

New York University

Enrollment

2,200 participants

Start Date

Apr 8, 2024

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation

Summary

The overall goal of this study is to respond to the urgent need for an effective suicide prevention strategy for Black youth by examining the effectiveness of a systems-level strategy to recognize and respond to suicide risk among Black adolescents who present to emergency departments (EDs). The proposed strategy, WeCare, combines combines three components: (1) universal screening using the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY), (2) a brief intervention designed for Black youth with elevated suicide risk in for ED settings, Connections for Safety (CFS), that combines safety planning and strategies to support linkage to outpatient mental health services, and (3) supportive text messages to youth and parent/caregivers for six weeks following the youth's ED visit. Study objectives are (1) to integrate input from multiple stakeholders to inform and facilitate WeCare implementation, and (2) to use a hybrid one effectiveness-implementation design to evaluate its effectiveness.

Eligibility

Min Age: 12 YearsMax Age: 19 Years

Inclusion Criteria6

Adolescents aged 12-17 years and their parents or guardians, and adolescents 18-19 years who have the option for their parent or guardian to participate
Having a parent/caregiver present in the ED to consent (12-17 year olds, only)
Having a cellular phone with text messaging capacity
Adolescent able to speak English, and understand study questions
Parents able to consent in English, Spanish, French or Creole
Meet screening criteria

Exclusion Criteria5

Adolescent is medically unstable
Adolescent present with severe cognitive impairment
Parents are not present in the ED and available to give consent in either English, Spanish, French or Creole (12-17 year olds, only)
Adolescent does not have access to cellular phone
Adolescents active in mental health treatment (e.g., seen a therapist, social worker, or mental health provider in the last week)

Interventions

BEHAVIORALWeCare

WeCare combines two evidence-based strategies -- universal screening using the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth and an adapted version of the SAFETY-ACUTE, which incorporates PI Lindsey's extensive work with Black youth, their families, and community stakeholders to develop culturally tailored strategies for addressing treatment barriers.