Differences Between Suicide Attempters and Suicide Ideators. Influence of the Brief Therapy Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) on Neuropsychological Correlates and Psychological Process Factors - Project 2

NCT06263712 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 2021-02504 (Project 2)
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 156
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The present study consists of 3 projects in total and aims to investigate the (neuro-) psychological patterns from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior as well as the effects and feasibility of ASSIP Home Treatment. The overall aim of project 2 is to investigate how the (neuro-) psychological patterns are modulated by the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP). Therefore, suicide attempters participating in this project 2 will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group ASSIP or a standard care plus resource interview (STAR) group. The ASSIP and STAR interventions take place at the University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern (Switzerland). At the end of the assessment in project 1 participants who reported a history of past suicide attempt (SUAT) will be informed about project 2. Only if participants agreed to take part in project 2 and have signed the informed consent, they are randomized into two conditions: The ASSIP intervention (ASSIP) versus standard of care plus resource interview (STAR). Participants of both groups will be assessed again 4 weeks and 12 months after their first baseline assessment of project 1.

Conditions

Inhibitory Control; Self Efficacy; Suicide Ideation; Suicide, Attempted; Locus of Control; Process Factors; Movement Synchrony

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Differences in Inhibitory Control

  The Go/No-Go task is a cognitive task to assess an individual's ability to inhibit a prepotent response. It is used to measure impulse control and response inhibition. The task requires participants to respond ("Go" response) to one type of stimulus and to withhold or inhibit their response ("No-Go" response) to another type of stimulus. The Go/No-Go task yields measures such as reaction time, accuracy, and the ability to inhibit responses. Reaction times can vary widely, and accuracy is often expressed as a percentage of correct responses. Lower reaction times and higher accuracy in withholding responses (No-Go trials) indicate better inhibitory control and cognitive performance.

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0).

• Differences in Inhibitory Control

  The Go/No-Go task is a cognitive task to assess an individual's ability to inhibit a prepotent response. It is used to measure impulse control and response inhibition. The task requires participants to respond ("Go" response) to one type of stimulus and to withhold or inhibit their response ("No-Go" response) to another type of stimulus. The Go/No-Go task yields measures such as reaction time, accuracy, and the ability to inhibit responses. Reaction times can vary widely, and accuracy is often expressed as a percentage of correct responses. Lower reaction times and higher accuracy in withholding responses (No-Go trials) indicate better inhibitory control and cognitive performance.

  The assessment takes place after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR therapy sessions (t1), i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment.

• Differences in Inhibitory Control

  The Go/No-Go task is a cognitive task to assess an individual's ability to inhibit a prepotent response. It is used to measure impulse control and response inhibition. The task requires participants to respond ("Go" response) to one type of stimulus and to withhold or inhibit their response ("No-Go" response) to another type of stimulus. The Go/No-Go task yields measures such as reaction time, accuracy, and the ability to inhibit responses. Reaction times can vary widely, and accuracy is often expressed as a percentage of correct responses. Lower reaction times and higher accuracy in withholding responses (No-Go trials) indicate better inhibitory control and cognitive performance.

  The assessment takes place 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Movement analyses

  The assessment takes place at all 3 sessions of ASSIP or STAR, up to 1 month.

• Selective Attention and Interference Control

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

• General Sense of Self-Efficacy

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

• Locus of control

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

• Psychological Pain

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

Other Outcomes (17)

• Mental abilities like attention, working memory and visuomotor speed as well as mental flexibility

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

• Sociodemographic data

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0); after the completion of the 3/4 ASSIP or STAR sessions, i.e. approximately 4 weeks after the baseline assessment (t1); 12 months after the baseline assessment (t2).

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-V) and International Classification of Diseases 10 (ICD-10) psychiatric disorders

  The assessment takes place 1 day to 1 week after informed consent (t0).

Study Arms (2)

ASSIP Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients in the ASSIP Group will receive 3-4 sessions of the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) which is a specific therapy for patients with a suicide attempt in their personal history. Each ASSIP session takes approximately 50 minutes.

Behavioral: Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP)

STAR Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients in the STAR group will receive the standard of care plus resource interview (STAR) which will be a risk assessment interview, and a non-specific resource focused intervention over three face-to-face sessions. In this resource focused intervention, the sessions are focused on activation of existing resources and the patients' social environment is discussed.

Behavioral: Standard of care plus resource interview group (STAR)

Interventions

Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) BEHAVIORAL

The Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) is a specific therapy for patients with a suicide attempt in their biography. The brief therapy ASSIP consists of three to four sessions of approximately 50 minutes each. Session 1: A narrative interview is conducted, in which the patient is asked to tell her\*his personal story which led to the suicidal crisis. The narrative is video-recorded. Session 2: Using video-playback of the recorded narrative, patient and therapist explore further details of the suicidal process. Session 3: A case conceptualization focusing on the patient's vulnerability and the trigger of the suicidal crisis is formulated in writing. A list of safety strategies for the prevention of future suicidal behavior is developed jointly with the patient. Regular letters are sent to patients over a period of 2 years.

ASSIP Group

Standard of care plus resource interview group (STAR) BEHAVIORAL

The standard of care plus resource interview group (STAR) will be offered a clinical interview, a risk assessment, and a non-specific resource focused intervention over three face-to-face sessions. In this resource focused intervention, the patient is asked to name her\*his resources, describe them, and give examples.

STAR Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Informed consent as documented by signature
• Age ≥ 18 years
• At least one previous suicide attempt
• Willingness to attend the ASSIP brief therapy
• Owns a smartphone

You may not qualify if:

• Serious cognitive impairment
• Any psychotic disorder
• Any current medication, which substantially impairs the attention span, reaction, rate or any other relevant cognitive functions
• Inability to follow the procedures of the study (e.g., insufficient mastery of the German language, previous enrolment into the current study)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Bern: lead

Study Sites (1)

University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern

Bern, 3008, Switzerland

RECRUITING

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicide, Attempted

Interventions

Standard of Care

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Suicide; Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Quality Indicators, Health Care; Quality of Health Care; Health Services Administration; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Study Officials

• Anja C. Gysin-Maillart, PhD

  University of Bern, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Translational Research Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Anja C. Gysin-Maillart, PhD

CONTACT

+41 (0) 31 632 88 11; anja.gysin-maillart@unibe.ch

Kristina Adorjan, Prof. Dr. med.

CONTACT

+41 (0) 58 630 91 11; sebastian.walther@unibe.ch

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 8, 2024
• First Posted: February 16, 2024
• Study Start: March 25, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CH (1)