Social Media Markers of Adolescents' Suicide Hazard
SMMASH
1 other identifier
observational
200
0 countries
N/A
Brief Summary
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for teenage youth in Canada, and every year tens of thousands of young people engage in suicidal behaviors. Many young people manifest red-flag behaviors in the digital realm before these incidents occur. The faceless nature of online communication often emboldens youth to reveal details about their mental state: leaving tell-tale signs or "bread crumbs" of their suicidal intentions or behaviors. This research will examine the content of adolescents social media entries to find red flags and detect patterns in social media interactions of adolescents that could be predictive of subsequent suicide risk. The study participants will be patients admitted to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Emergency unit at BCCH, subdivided into two groups: those admitted due to suicidal behaviors, and those admitted for non-suicidal behaviors. The text of social media activity for the month prior to emergency admission of the two groups will be collected, anonymized, and analyzed using text-analytic algorithms. The objective of the study is to find patterns and indicators of social media entries, prior to admission, that would have been predictive of suicidality. The implications of successful outcome of this project for mental health care of children and adolescents reaches well beyond the scope of this study. An objective method to predict risk of suicidal behaviors in youth has application in almost all pediatric clinical settings. The outcomes of this project will also serve as the foundation for further utilization of social sensing technology to identify, predict, and prevent many other mental health crises in children and adolescents.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
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participants targeted
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Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
March 21, 2016
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
March 25, 2016
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
April 1, 2016
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
April 1, 2017
CompletedMarch 25, 2016
March 1, 2016
1 year
March 21, 2016
March 21, 2016
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Algorithm development to predict suicidal crisis.
10 months
Secondary Outcomes (1)
Potential Predictors of crisis.
10 months
Study Arms (4)
Suicidal Behaviour
Suicidal Ideation
Other Mental Health
Other Health
Interventions
Retrospective analyses of social media activity prior to crisis.
Eligibility Criteria
We aim to recruit a total of 200 subjects in the four different arms of the study. First arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of potentially lethal suicidal behavior. This group consists of patients whose suicidal behavior could have ended their lives or significantly compromised their health in the absence of timely interception or intervention. We use this cohort as a proxy for "would be" completers. Second arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of non-lethal suicidal behavior. This group includes patients who are admitted because of suicidal ideation without any attempt, or suicidal behaviors that would not have ended their lives or caused significant compromise in their health. Third arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE due to mental health crises other than suicidal behavior. Fourth arm: 50 adolescents admitted to BCCH for reasons not related to mental health.
You may qualify if:
- use social media
- patient of BCCH
You may not qualify if:
- no use of social media
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Sinead Nugentlead
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- COHORT
- Time Perspective
- RETROSPECTIVE
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Ms. Sinead Nugent
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
March 21, 2016
First Posted
March 25, 2016
Study Start
April 1, 2016
Primary Completion
April 1, 2017
Last Updated
March 25, 2016
Record last verified: 2016-03