Task-Shifting Adapted IPT-A for Youth Suicide Prevention

NCT07383831 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 24.274K23MH137405
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 46
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized pragmatic clinical trial is to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and mechanisms of change of a brief adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A), adapted and task-shifted to lay providers (mentors, youth trusted adults) in youth community centers (YCCs) as an upstream approach to suicide. It focuses on Hispanic adolescents ages 12-17 enrolled in these YCCs. The pragmatic clinical trial will evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of adapted IPT-A delivered by mentors in YCCs and whether adapted IPT-A impacts mechanisms of change (depression symptoms, belongingness, and feeling like a burden to others). The main questions to answer are:

• Is adapted IPT-A, when delivered by trained youth mentors, feasible and acceptable in youth community centers?
• Does adapted IPT-A change key risk factors (i.e., mechanisms: depressive symptoms, low belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) associated with suicide ideation? The investigators will compare adolescents randomized to adapted IPT-A (6 sessions) delivered by a trained youth mentor with those receiving usual services at the community center (one individual session focused on active listening). Participants will:
• Be screened for subthreshold depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire adolescent version (PHQ-A). Adolescent participants will be included if they score between 4 and 9 (mild depression). Participants with a PHQ-A score of 10 or higher (severe depression) will not be eligible and will be referred to a licensed mental health provider for appropriate care.
• Be randomized to adapted IPT-A or usual care. Adolescent participants in the intervention arm will participate in 6 weekly, adapted IPT-A sessions with a trained youth mentor. Intervention focuses on education, affect identification, and interpersonal skills.

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation; Depressive Symptoms; Adolescent Mental Health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Feasibility of the intervention

  The Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) is a 4-item self-report survey (Weiner et al., 2017) used to assess whether the intervention can be successfully carried out (feasible). The scores for the 4 items are averaged, yielding a total score of 1-5, where 1-2 indicates low perceived feasibility, 3 indicates moderate, and 4-5 indicates high perceived feasibility. In summary, higher scores indicate higher perceived feasibility (a better outcome).

  Up to 7 weeks.

• Acceptability of the intervention

  The Acceptability and Appropriateness of Intervention Measure (AIM) is an 8-item self-report survey that assesses whether the intervention is satisfactory (acceptability) and relevant (appropriateness). The measure is divided into 4-item subscales: acceptability and appropriateness. These constructs are evaluated separately, with an average score ranging from 1 (low) to 5 (high) (Weiner et al., 2017). Higher scores indicate higher satisfaction (acceptability) and relevance (appropriateness), meaning a better outcome.

  Up to 7 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in depressive symptoms

  Up to 7 weeks.

• Change in interpersonal factors associated with passive suicide ideation.

  Up to 7 weeks.

Other Outcomes (2)

• Change in anxiety symptoms

  Up to 7 weeks.

• Change in experiences with discrimination

  Up to 7 weeks.

Study Arms (2)

Adapted IPT-A Delivered by Youth Mentors

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive 6 weekly sessions of an adapted, brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) delivered by trained youth mentors (n=5) at the partnering youth community centers. The intervention focuses on improving interpersonal functioning, communication skills, and supportive relationships to reduce depressive symptoms, low belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness.

Behavioral: Adapted Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A LAZOS)

Usual Community Center Services

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will continue to receive the standard youth programming and services offered at the participating community centers. This is an individual session focused on active listening.

Other: Usual Community Center Services

Interventions

Usual Community Center Services OTHER

Participants in this arm will continue to receive the standard youth programs and services offered by the youth community centers, including mentoring, academic support, and recreational activities. They will not receive BIPT-A.

Also known as: Usual Care, Standard Youth Programming

Usual Community Center Services

Adapted Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A LAZOS) BEHAVIORAL

Adolescents in this intervention will receive 6 weekly sessions of an adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) delivered by trained youth mentors in youth community centers. The adaptation used a community-participatory research approach to culturally and contextually meet the needs of immigrant-origin inner-city adolescents. The adapted intervention keeps core elements (education, affect identification, and interpersonal skills) and bolsters these skills to target belongingness and burdensomeness, which are factors associated with suicide ideation. Sessions follow a structured, manualized approach. The goal is to reduce depressive symptoms, increase sense of belongingness, and decrease perceived burdensomeness among adolescents with subthreshold depression (score between 4-9 in the PHQ-A).

Also known as: IPT-A

Adapted IPT-A Delivered by Youth Mentors

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Parent consent
• Adolescent consent
• Enrolled in youth community centers
• Self-identified as Hispanic or Latine
• Between 12 and 17 years old.
• Scoring threshold for depression (4-9) as indicated in the PHQ-A.
• No current report of suicide ideation with plan or self-harming behaviors

You may not qualify if:

• Not consented to participate in the study
• Scoring 10 or higher in the PHQ-A, indicating depressive disorder
• Active suicide ideation (i.e., having thoughts of killing oneself, thinking about how in the past month).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Boston College: lead

Study Sites (1)

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation; Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Suicide; Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Carolina Vélez-Grau, PHD, LCSW

  Boston College

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Laura Mufson, PhD

  Columbia University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Susan Witte, PhD

  Columbia University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Carolina Vélez-Grau, PhD and LCSW

CONTACT

16175522539; velezgra@bc.edu

Krystel Francis, BA

CONTACT

francik@bc.edu

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: January 25, 2026
• First Posted: February 3, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be available at the end of the study in 2029.
• Access Criteria: Based on the NDA, the qualified scientific community will have access to de-identified data from the study.

Locations

US (1)