Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS)

NCT03166709 | Completed Results DMC

• 2 other identifiers: STUDY000019661R01DA041486-01A1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 906
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 16

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of the investigator's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) R21 developed "Preventing Addiction Related Suicide" (PARS) program by utilizing a novel stepped wedge design to evaluate PARS as a selected prevention program to increase help-seeking by clients in community addiction treatment.

Conditions

Suicide; Substance-Related Disorders

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• PARS Help-Seeking Scale

  The PARS Help-Seeking Scale consists of 4 items assessing help-seeking behavior in the context of suicidal thoughts or feelings (e.g., calling a crisis/suicide hotline) developed for our pilot trial22 based on prior suicide prevention programs. Participants reported the frequency of past-month help-seeking on behalf of self or others, including friends and family members, from "never" (=0) to "more than 3 times" (=4). Responses were summed to create a score from 0 to 16 with higher numbers indicating the better outcome of increased help-seeking.

  Six months

• PARS Suicide Knowledge Scale

  The PARS Suicide Knowledge Scale is an 11-item measure adapted from the Staff Suicide Prevention Survey (SSPS) assessing factual understanding of suicide and closely mapped to the content of PARS. Correct responses were summed to create a score from 0 to 11 with higher scores representing the better outcome of greater suicide knowledge.

  Six months

• PARS Attitude Scale

  The PARS Attitude Scale, adapted from the Staff Suicide Prevention Survey (SSPS), consists of 6 items evaluating maladaptive attitudes about suicide stigma and prevention. Responses on a 5-point scale from "strongly disagree" (=1) to "strongly agree" (=5) were summed to create a score from 6 to 30 where lower scores indicate a better outcome.

  Six months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire - Revised

  Six months

Study Arms (2)

Treatment As Usual

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) addiction treatment

Behavioral: Intensive Outpatient Program standard session

Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL

Secondary Prevention Intervention (PARS) plus Treatment as Usual

Behavioral: Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS)

Interventions

Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS) BEHAVIORAL

PARS is a module designed for a single session of an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) including a specified combination of didactic presentations and group discussions. PARS topics include: Goals and Objectives; Suicide Overview; The Strong Link Between Addiction and Suicide; Suicide Myths and Facts; Common Triggers of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors; Warning Signs of Suicide; Suicide Risk Factors; Suicide Protective Factors; How You Can Prevent Addiction Related Suicide; Action Steps to Take if You or Someone You Know Becomes Suicidal

Experimental

Intensive Outpatient Program standard session BEHAVIORAL

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) substance abuse group session focused on depression, grief, or managing emotions. Site-specific session topic is what that IOP usually provides and was chosen by agency leads prior to start of study.

Treatment As Usual

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Enrolled client in one of the community treatment settings
• Over 18 years of age (no maximum age)
• Ability to understand written and spoken English

You may not qualify if:

• \. Any clinical medical/psychiatric condition, severity of that condition, or life situation that in the opinion of the counselors or Drs. Comtois or Ries would compromise safe and voluntary study participation (e.g., psychosis, custody conflict). This is expected to be a rare circumstance and will be known prior to the recruitment session. If a counselor does not want someone involved, they will not be. If counselor is unsure, Dr. Comtois or Ries will facilitate decision with counselor ahead of time to assist in the decision.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: lead
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): collaborator

Study Sites (16)

Lakeside-Milam

Auburn, Washington, 98002, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Edmonds, Washington, 98026, United States

Location

Evergreen Recovery Centers

Everett, Washington, 98201, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Everett, Washington, 98204, United States

Location

Olalla Recovery Centers

Gig Harbor, Washington, 98335, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Issaquah, Washington, 98027, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Kirkland, Washington, 98033, United States

Location

Northwest Integrated Health

Lakewood, Washington, 98499, United States

Location

Evergreen Recovery Centers

Lynnwood, Washington, 98036, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Puyallup, Washington, 98371, United States

Location

Northwest Integrated Health

Puyallup, Washington, 98374, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Renton, Washington, 98055, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Seattle, Washington, 98102, United States

Location

THS

Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States

Location

Lakeside-Milam

Tacoma, Washington, 98405, United States

Location

Northwest Integrated Health

Tacoma, Washington, 98406, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Ries RK, Livengood AL, Huh D, Kerbrat AH, Fruhbauerova M, Turner B, Comtois KA. Effectiveness of a Suicide Prevention Module for Adults in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Apr 1;5(4):e222945. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.2945.

  PMID: 35385090 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicide; Substance-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Katherine Anne Comtois
• Organization: Center for Suicide Prevention and Recovery, University of Washington

uwcspar@uw.edu

206-744-1752

Study Officials

• Katherine Anne Comtois, PhD, MPH

  University of Washington

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor, Dept of Psychology

Model Details: Stepped wedge - 15 sites randomly divided into 5 groups which are then randomly ordered into 5 steps. Step 1 is all control. During steps 2-6 one group implements the experimental condition in assigned order until all groups are doing experimental condition.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 22, 2017
• First Posted: May 25, 2017
• Study Start: October 11, 2017
• Primary Completion: May 28, 2020
• Study Completion: May 28, 2020
• Last Updated: August 14, 2025
• Results First Posted: August 14, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (16)