NCT05847504

Brief Summary

Suicide is a high priority public health problem and an increasingly prevalent alcohol-related consequence. One-third of people who die by suicide consume alcohol at hazardous rates in the year preceding death. Most people in an acute suicide crisis who present for treatment are admitted to acute psychiatric hospitalization. Yet, the 30-day period following discharge from hospitalization is by far the riskiest period for another suicide crisis. The specific aim for this project is to use a successive cohort design to iteratively develop an intervention called mHealth-supported Skills Training for Alcohol-Related Suicidality (mSTARS). The study team will adapt and iteratively refine a cognitive-behavioral skills training intervention in emotion regulation to be administered in an acute care setting and paired with a post-discharge mHealth app that encourages application of these skills to real life. Two cohorts of five participants each will be enrolled in the project. Participants will complete mSTARS, an intervention that combines inpatient skills training and the mHealth telephone app. Upon completion of the 30-day period, participants will complete self-report measures and participate in an interview designed to evaluate their experience with the mSTARS intervention.

Trial Health

75
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
10

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
20mo left

Started Feb 2026

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
enrolling by invitation

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress15%
Feb 2026Feb 2028

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 27, 2023

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 6, 2023

Completed
2.8 years until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 6, 2026

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

February 4, 2028

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 4, 2028

Last Updated

February 11, 2026

Status Verified

February 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

2 years

First QC Date

April 27, 2023

Last Update Submit

February 9, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Number of participants who rate the intervention a 16 or more on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire.

    Acceptability of treatment will be measured by an 8-item measure designed to evaluate client satisfaction. Scores range from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction.

    30 days

  • Number of participants who score above threshold (34 or more) on the mHealth Satisfaction Questionnaire

    Acceptability of treatment will be measured by a 14-item measure designed to measure usability of mobile health apps. Scores range from 14 to 70. Higher scores indicate higher satisfaction.

    30 days

  • Number of participants who score 54 or more on a measure of emotion regulation skills use.

    The Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire is a 27-item measure of the extent to which an individual was able to successfully use emotion regulation skills typically taught in emotion regulation skills training interventions. Scores range from 0 to 108, and higher scores indicate more successful use of emotional regulation skills.

    30 days

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Number of participants who score above clinical range on an emotion regulation scale

    30 Days

  • Number of participants who score above the clinical range (T score of 70+) on the global severity index of the Symptom Checklist-90

    30 days

  • Average score on the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation

    30 days

  • Number of participants who score 40 or less on a measure of perceived efficacy to abstain from alcohol

    30 days

  • Number of participants who score 21 or less on the Brief Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning

    30 days

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (1)

mSTARS

EXPERIMENTAL

mHealth-supported Skills Training for Alcohol-Related Suicidality, or mSTARS, is an intervention that combines a cognitive-behavioral skills training intervention in emotion regulation skills with a post-discharge mobile health (mHealth) app that encourages application of these skills to real life.

Behavioral: mSTARS

Interventions

mSTARSBEHAVIORAL

mSTARS combines inpatient cognitive-behavioral skills training and outpatient use of a mobile app encouraging application of acquired skills to real life situations.

mSTARS

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Age 18+
  • hospitalized for suicide crisis at Duke BHIP
  • an AUDIT-C score indicating hazardous past-month drinking (4 for men; 3 for women) + a 90-day calendar timeline follow-back (TLFB) indicating a minimum of 3 heavy drinking days per week on average (per NIAAA standards)
  • owns a smart phone
  • fluent in English.

You may not qualify if:

  • current psychotic or mania symptoms indicated by the MINI Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0.(MINI)
  • receiving ECT at the time of hospitalization, which could inhibit learning
  • engaged in weekly outpatient psychotherapy
  • discharging to another high level of psychiatric care.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Duke School of Medicine

Durham, North Carolina, 27704, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Alcohol DrinkingSuicide

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Drinking BehaviorBehaviorSelf-Injurious BehaviorBehavioral Symptoms

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 27, 2023

First Posted

May 6, 2023

Study Start

February 6, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 4, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 4, 2028

Last Updated

February 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations