Citation

Slomski A. J. Am. Med. Assoc. JAMA 2019; 321(16): 1558.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jama.2019.4592

PMID

31012930

Abstract

A suicide prevention intervention that supplemented standard care with caring text messages in active-duty military personnel did not reduce the odds of current suicidal ideation or suicide risk incidents, reported a study in JAMA Psychiatry.

The 658 US Army soldiers and marines at risk of suicide were randomly assigned to Caring Contacts, an intervention comprising 11 text messages expressing care and concern sent during the 12-month trial and on participants’ birthdays. All participants also received standard care.

At 12 months, there was no difference between the groups in the likelihood or severity of current suicidal ideation or hospitalization or medical evacuation for suicide risk. However, relative to the control group, Caring Contacts reduced the odds of 2 secondary outcomes—having any suicidal ideation or of attempting suicide between baseline and follow-up—by 44% and 48%, respectively. The clinically meaningful treatment effects were modest, but a longer-term Caring Contacts intervention may be more effective, according to the investigators.

Language: en