Effects of suicide prevention videos developed by and targeting adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

AbstractSuicide prevention videos featuring young people ’s personal narratives of hope and recovery are increasingly used in suicide prevention, but research on their effects is scarce. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effects of a suicide prevention video featuring an adolescent mastering his suicidal ideation by ge tting help on 14 to 19-year-olds.N = 299 adolescents were randomly allocated to watch the intervention video (n = 148) or a control video unrelated to mental health (n = 151). Questionnaire data were collected before (T1) and immediately after exposure (T2), and 4  weeks later (T3). Data were analyzed with a repeated-measures ANCOVA. The primary outcome was suicidal ideation, assessed with the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents. Secondary outcomes were help-seeking intentions, attitudes towards suicide, stigmatization of suicidality, and mood. There was an immediate beneficial effect of the intervention on suicidal ideation (T2 mean change from baseline within intervention groupMChange = − 0.16 [95% CI − 0.20 to − 0.12], mean difference compared to control groupMDiff = − 0.09 [95% CI − 0.15 to − 0.03],ηp2 = 0.03), which was not maintained atT3. Participants reported significantly higher help-seeking intentions, which was maintained at 4-week follow-up. They also reported a sustained  reduction of favorable attitudes to suicide. Effects on suicidal ideation were med...
Source: European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research