Brief Crisis Therapy for Suicidal Children and Adolescents

NCT07627243 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 0014-21-GEH
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the Ultra-Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents with Suicidal Ideation (IPT-A-SCI) works to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents. The study will also examine whether treatment effects continue after treatment ends and whether some participants benefit more from the intervention than others. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does IPT-A-SCI reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents? Do the effects of IPT-A-SCI continue three months after treatment ends? Do some children and adolescents benefit more from IPT-A-SCI than others? Participants will: Receive IPT-A-SCI treatment consisting of five weekly sessions Complete questionnaires before treatment, during treatment, at the end of treatment, and three months after treatment ends Have their parents complete questionnaires at the same time points

Conditions

Suicidal Behavior; Suicidal Ideation

Keywords

suicidal ideation; suicidal behavior; Interpersonal psychotherapy; children; adolescents; Suicide prevention; Safety planning; Brief intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Severity of Suicidal Ideation

  Change in severity of suicidal ideation and behavior assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). The C-SSRS assesses the severity of suicidal ideation and the occurrence of suicidal behaviors. The suicidal ideation severity score ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater severity of suicidal ideation.

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Change in Intensity of Suicidal Ideation

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

• Change in Depressive Symptoms

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

• Change in Perceived Social Support

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

• Change in Emotional Processing (Alexithymia)

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

• Change in Hope

  Baseline to 3-month follow-up

Study Arms (1)

IPT-A-SCI

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the IPT-A-SCI intervention consisting of five weekly sessions of ultra-brief interpersonal psychotherapy combined with safety planning for suicidal ideation and behavior.

Behavioral: IPT-A-SCI

Interventions

IPT-A-SCI BEHAVIORAL

Manualized ultra-brief interpersonal psychotherapy intervention combined with safety planning for children and adolescents with suicidal ideation or behavior.

IPT-A-SCI

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Children and adolescents aged 8-18 years presenting with suicidal ideation or behavior
• Suicide risk assessment indicating suitability for outpatient treatment,
• Fluency in Hebrew
• Ability to attend five weekly treatment sessions
• Written informed consent provided by parents or legal guardians
• Written informed assent/consent provided by participants in accordance with age and local ethical regulations

You may not qualify if:

• Acute medical or psychiatric condition requiring immediate inpatient treatment
• Linguistic, developmental, neurological, or intellectual limitations that prevent understanding of the treatment protocol or study procedures
• Inability to participate in outpatient psychotherapy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Geha Mental Health Center: collaborator
• Tel Aviv University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Geha Mental Health Center

Petah Tikva, Israel

Location

Related Publications (5)

• Stanley B, Brown GK. Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk. Cogn Behav Pract. 2012;19(2):256-264. doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.01.001.

  BACKGROUND

• Itzhaky L, Davaasambuu S, Ellis SP, Cisneros-Trujillo S, Hannett K, Scolaro K, Stanley BH, Mann JJ, Wainberg ML, Oquendo MA, Sublette ME. Twenty-six years of psychosocial interventions to reduce suicide risk in adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2022 Mar 1;300:511-531. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.094. Epub 2021 Dec 31.

  PMID: 34974074 BACKGROUND

• Lipsitz JD, Markowitz JC. Mechanisms of change in interpersonal therapy (IPT). Clin Psychol Rev. 2013 Dec;33(8):1134-47. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2013.09.002. Epub 2013 Sep 25.

  PMID: 24100081 BACKGROUND

• Adini-Spigelman E, Gvion Y, Haruvi Catalan L, Barzilay S, Apter A, Brunstein Klomek A. Comparative Effectiveness of Ultra-Brief, IPT-A Based Crisis Intervention for Suicidal Children and Adolescents. Arch Suicide Res. 2024 Oct-Dec;28(4):1249-1262. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2023.2298499. Epub 2024 Jan 3.

  PMID: 38169321 BACKGROUND

• Haruvi Catalan L, Levis Frenk M, Adini Spigelman E, Engelberg Y, Barzilay S, Mufson L, Apter A, Benaroya Milshtein N, Fennig S, Klomek AB. Ultra-Brief Crisis IPT-A Based Intervention for Suicidal Children and Adolescents (IPT-A-SCI) Pilot Study Results. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Dec 9;11:553422. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.553422. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 33362595 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation; Suicide Prevention

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Suicide; Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Chamutal Saragusty, MA

  Geha Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Chamutal Saragusty, MA

CONTACT

972-52-3400936; yanivchamutal@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Psychologist, M.A., Ph.D. Student, Tel Aviv University

Model Details: All participants will receive the IPT-A-SCI intervention. This is a single-group pre-post study with repeated assessments conducted before treatment, during treatment, after treatment completion, and at 3-month follow-up.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 30, 2026
• First Posted: June 4, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Last Updated: June 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

IL (1)