Compassion Meditation and ReliefLink App for Suicidal, Low-Income, African Americans

Emory University456 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with low-income, suicidal African American women and men that compares the relative effectiveness of compassion meditation (CM) versus a support group (SG) for (1) reducing psychological distress (suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, and shame); (2) bolstering interpersonal connectedness; and (3) enhancing self-compassion and mindfulness. It is hypothesized that at post-intervention and follow-up, compared to individuals in the SG, those in the CM intervention will endorse less psychological distress (suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, and shame), more interpersonal connectedness, and greater levels of self-compassion and mindfulness.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

456

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation

Interventions

Compassion meditation (CM)BEHAVIORAL

CM session: 30 minute check-in regarding the participants' levels of suicidal ideation, as well as a discussion of current life stress and weekly meditation practice; a 30 minute didactic session that will describe the meditative technique introduced during the week; and a 30 minute guided meditation session. Participants are also encouraged to meditate at least 30 minutes a day.

Support group (SG)BEHAVIORAL

SG session: 90 minutes to talk about current concerns and to receive support and guidance from other group members and the leaders.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 64 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * self-identify as African American or Black * speak English * present to medical and psychiatric emergency rooms at Grady Health System following a suicide attempt * moderate level of intent associated with the attempt (SSI \>= 8 required) * Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) score \> 22 Exclusion Criteria: * significant cognitive impairments (MMSE \< 22) * active psychosis (diagnosed based on Psychotic Screen (PS)) * imminently life-threatening medical condition

Locations (1)

Grady Health System (non-CRN)

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) score

The BSS is a self-report 19-item scale preceded by five screening items. The BSS and its screening items are intended to assess a patient's thoughts, plans and intent to commit suicide. All 24 items are rated on a three-point scale (0 to 2) total scores could range from 0 to 48. No specific cut-off scores exist to classify severity or guide patient management. Increasing scores reflect greater suicide risk, and any positive response merits investigation.

Time frame: Pre-intervention - baseline (T1), post-intervention - at completion of 6 weekly sessions (T2), and at 6 week follow-up (T3)

Secondary Outcomes

Change in Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) score

The BDI is a self-report 21-item scale used to assess the current severity of depression. Each item is rated on a four-point scale (0 to 3) with possible total scores ranging from 0 to 63. Scores provide a measure of the severity of self-reported depression: 0 -9 minimal, 10 -16 mild, 17-29 moderate, and 30 - 63 severe.

Time frame: Pre-intervention - baseline (T1), post-intervention - at completion of 6 weekly sessions (T2), and at 6 week follow-up (T3)

Change in Experience of Shame Scale (ESS) score

The Experiences of Shame Scale (ESS) is a 25 item inventory that measures the experience of shame about a variety of areas including shame about one's body, personal habits, manner with others, personal ability, whether one has said or done something wrong (e.g. "Have you felt ashamed of any of your personal habits?") over the past month.. Participants are asked to answer questions on a 4 point Likert scale from "not at all" to "very much."

Time frame: Pre-intervention - baseline (T1), post-intervention - at completion of 6 weekly sessions (T2), and at 6 week follow-up (T3)

Change in Levels of Self-Criticism Scale (LOSC) score

The Levels of Self-Criticism Scale (LOSC), which has 22 items assessing comparative self-criticism and internalized self-criticism, will be used to measure the level of self-criticism. The LOSC measures both comparative self-criticism (e.g. "I fear that if people get to know me too well, they will not respect me.") and internalized self-criticism (e.g. "Failure is a very painful experience for me."). Participants are asked to rate each item on a 7 point Likert scale from "not at all" to "very well."

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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