Brief Alcohol Intervention for Adolescents Who Have Attempted Suicide
Condition: Suicide; Alcohol Drinking
MeSH terms: Suicide; Alcohol Drinking; Suicide, Attempted
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      The study will use a two group randomized controlled trial to compare a brief motivational
      interviewing (MI) intervention to TAU with 50 adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized for a
      suicide plan or attempt who have co-occurring alcohol use. Data will be collected via
      in-person interviews and self-administered questionnaires at baseline and 3 month follow-up
      assessments to explore outcome changes in negative alcohol expectancies, confidence in
      ability to handle situations where alcohol is present, likelihood of receiving alcohol
      treatment, frequency of alcohol use, and suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide
      attempts for adolescents receiving the intervention relative to TAU.
    

Detailed description: 
      A two group randomized controlled trial will be used to compare the brief MI intervention to
      TAU with 50 adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized for a suicide plan or attempt who have
      co-occurring alcohol use. Adolescents admitted to the unit for a suicide plan or attempt will
      be screened by PI O'Brien or Co-I White within 24 hours of their admission to determine if
      they meet criteria for alcohol use in past month by selecting 1-6 on Question #1 of the
      Adolescent Drinking Questionnaire (ADQ). Then Co-I White (or PI O'Brien in the event Co-I
      White is unavailable) will administer the Drug Use Questionnaire (DUQ), Timeline Follow-back
      Interview (TLFB), Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire (BSCQ), Comprehensive Effects of
      Alcohol (CEOA), Opinions About Alcohol Use (OAAU), Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ),
      Inventory of Motivations for Suicide Attempts (IMSA), and a subset of questions from the
      Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Once assessment measures are completed,
      participants will be randomized to either the experimental condition or TAU. Randomization
      will be accomplished by using an urn randomization procedure used to retain random allocation
      while balancing relative probabilities of assignment to treatment groups. Urn randomization
      in contrast to simple or block randomization is dynamic; the probability of treatment
      assignment changes dependent on the degree of treatment imbalance throughout the course of
      the trial. We will randomize by 1) ADQ score (i.e., adolescents scoring <4 which indicates
      drinking at least 2-3 times per week) and 2) gender. The adolescent will receive the
      individual MI intervention in a private room on the inpatient psychiatric unit; the family
      intervention will be delivered in a private room on the unit, ideally the next day. After the
      intervention the adolescent will complete the exit interview and Session Evaluation Form
      (SEF) to assess acceptability. Once a discharge date is made for the participant, PI O'Brien
      or Co-I White will schedule a 3 month follow-up appointments with the adolescent and
      guardian; the ADQ, DUQ, TLFB, BSCQ, CEOA, SIQ, IMSA, and C-SSRS will be readministered at the
      follow-up assessment in a private room in the visitors' area of the inpatient psychiatric
      unit by RA Wigglesworth, so that the clinician conducting the assessment is blind to
      condition.
    

Intervention name(s): motivational enhancement therapy
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The intervention consists of the following components: establishing rapport, assessing motivation for change, enhancing motivation for change, envisioning the future, establishing goals, and completing goals, strategies, and change plan worksheets.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment