Brief Alcohol Intervention for Adolescents Who Have Attempted Suicide

Overview

The study will use a two group randomized controlled trial to compare a brief motivational interviewing (MI) intervention to TAU with 50 adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized for a suicide plan or attempt who have co-occurring alcohol use. Data will be collected via in-person interviews and self-administered questionnaires at baseline and 3 month follow-up assessments to explore outcome changes in negative alcohol expectancies, confidence in ability to handle situations where alcohol is present, likelihood of receiving alcohol treatment, frequency of alcohol use, and suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts for adolescents receiving the intervention relative to TAU.

A two group randomized controlled trial will be used to compare the brief MI intervention to TAU with 50 adolescents psychiatrically hospitalized for a suicide plan or attempt who have co-occurring alcohol use. Adolescents admitted to the unit for a suicide plan or attempt will be screened by PI O'Brien or Co-I White within 24 hours of their admission to determine if they meet criteria for alcohol use in past month by selecting 1-6 on Question #1 of the Adolescent Drinking Questionnaire (ADQ). Then Co-I White (or PI O'Brien in the event Co-I White is unavailable) will administer the Drug Use Questionnaire (DUQ), Timeline Follow-back Interview (TLFB), Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire (BSCQ), Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol (CEOA), Opinions About Alcohol Use (OAAU), Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ), Inventory of Motivations for Suicide Attempts (IMSA), and a subset of questions from the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Once assessment measures are completed, participants will be randomized to either the experimental condition or TAU. Randomization will be accomplished by using an urn randomization procedure used to retain random allocation while balancing relative probabilities of assignment to treatment groups. Urn randomization in contrast to simple or block randomization is dynamic; the probability of treatment assignment changes dependent on the degree of treatment imbalance throughout the course of the trial. We will randomize by 1) ADQ score (i.e., adolescents scoring \<4 which indicates drinking at least 2-3 times per week) and 2) gender. The adolescent will receive the individual MI intervention in a private room on the inpatient psychiatric unit; the family intervention will be delivered in a private room on the unit, ideally the next day. After the intervention the adolescent will complete the exit interview and Session Evaluation Form (SEF) to assess acceptability. Once a discharge date is made for the participant, PI O'Brien or Co-I White will schedule a 3 month follow-up appointments with the adolescent and guardian; the ADQ, DUQ, TLFB, BSCQ, CEOA, SIQ, IMSA, and C-SSRS will be readministered at the follow-up assessment in a private room in the visitors' area of the inpatient psychiatric unit by RA Wigglesworth, so that the clinician conducting the assessment is blind to condition.