Nudging Parental Actions for Youth Suicide Prevention

NCT07383714 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: STU20252399GAA202508-0021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 129
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of the study is to determine effectiveness of a behaviorally informed text messaging intervention to help parents increase safety practices and reduce their teens' access to lethal means following a suicide-related emergency department visit.

Conditions

Suicide; Suicide Attempt

Keywords

suicide; digital health; lethal means restriction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Parent-reported adherence to lethal means restriction (LMR)

  Change in parental adherence to lethal means restriction practices will be assessed using the Parent Adherence to Lethal Means Restriction (PA-LMR), a structured parent-report survey measuring adherence to multiple lethal means restriction behaviors. Items are rated on a Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 11 to 55; higher scores indicate greater adherence.

  Baseline to 6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Adolescent Perceived Access to Lethal Means

  Baseline to 6 weeks

Other Outcomes (1)

• Exploratory Outcome

  Baseline to 12 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Control Arm

NO INTERVENTION

Treatment as usual (ED-based lethal means counseling)

Direct Nudge

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Thrice-weekly direct text messages encouraging Lethal Mean Restriction practices.

Other: Text-messaging for safety reminders

Risk-Framing Nudge Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Thrice-weekly direct text messages encouraging Lethal Mean Restriction practices and suicide risk statistics to recalibrate parental risk perception

Other: Text-messaging with safety reminders and risk framing

Interventions

Text-messaging for safety reminders OTHER

The intervention consists of thrice-weekly, behaviorally informed text messages delivered to parents over six weeks period.

Direct Nudge

Text-messaging with safety reminders and risk framing OTHER

Thrice-weekly messages incorporating safety precautions and evidence-based suicide risk statistics to recalibrate parental risk perception.

Risk-Framing Nudge Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Guardian must be able and willing to provide informed consent, and the participant must be able and willing to provide assent.
• Parent and adolescent willingness and ability to participate in study procedures and complete assessments at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks.
• Presentation to the ED for a suicide-related emergency, defined as suicidal ideation within the last 2 weeks or a suicide attempt within the past month.
• Adolescents aged 12-17 years during the consent.
• Access to a mobile phone with text messaging capability for the parent/legal guardian.
• Ability to communicate in English.

You may not qualify if:

• Absence of a legal guardian capable of providing consent.
• Parents/legal guardians without access to a mobile phone with texting capability.
• Inability to communicate in English.
• Adolescents in state custody or under legal restrictions that prevent study participation.
• Adolescents involved in the justice system in a manner that would interfere with study participation.
• Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual development disorder needing substantial or very substantial support

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: lead
• The Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC): collaborator

Related Publications (4)

• Tversky A, Kahneman D. The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science. 1981 Jan 30;211(4481):453-8. doi: 10.1126/science.7455683.

  PMID: 7455683 BACKGROUND

• Bauer BW, Capron DW. How Behavioral Economics and Nudges Could Help Diminish Irrationality in Suicide-Related Decisions. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2020 Jan;15(1):44-61. doi: 10.1177/1745691619866463. Epub 2019 Nov 7.

  PMID: 31697611 BACKGROUND

• Barber CW, Miller MJ. Reducing a suicidal person's access to lethal means of suicide: a research agenda. Am J Prev Med. 2014 Sep;47(3 Suppl 2):S264-72. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.028.

  PMID: 25145749 BACKGROUND

• Marcus SC, Cullen SW, Xie M, Bridge JA, Caterino JM, Schmutte T, Olfson M. Evaluating the Effect of Routine Lethal Means Counseling in the Emergency Department on Suicide Mortality Among Mental Health Patients. AJPM Focus. 2025 Mar 19;4(4):100336. doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2025.100336. eCollection 2025 Aug.

  PMID: 40688469 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicide; Suicide, Attempted

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Emine Rabia Ayvaci, MD

  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Matthew Nguyen

CONTACT

469-509-2493; matthew.nguyen@UTSouthwestern.edu

Amy Conger

CONTACT

214-4562705; amy.conger@UTSouthwestern.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The person analyzing the data will be blinded to group assignments.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 26, 2026
• First Posted: February 3, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): May 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Last Updated: April 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share