N/A
N=92
Suicide Prevention Study of VA-BIC in the Veteran Population
Suicide Prevention
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04446468 ↗Enrolled (actual)
92
Serious AEs
1.1%
Results posted
Jan 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) — 7.8; 7.61; 9.21; 6.78 units on a scale
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- PEACE (Behavioral); Standard Psychiatric Hospital Discharge Care (Other)
- Age
- Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Primary completion
- Sep 2025
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) |
7.8; 7.61; 9.21; 6.78; 8.03; 5.71 | — |
| SECONDARY Suicide-Related Coping Scale (SRCS) |
52.86; 53.21; 52.47; 53.39; 52.94; 56.44 | — |
| SECONDARY The Partners in Health Scale (PIH): Self-Management |
73.25; 73.29; 71.0; 73.19; 73.97; 75.94 | — |
| SECONDARY Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) |
8.19; 7.66; 9.0; 6.57; 8.0; 5.57 | — |
| SECONDARY Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15): Thwarted Belongingness |
31.47; 28.45; 33.85; 30.81; 32.52; 25.79 | — |
| SECONDARY Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15): Perceived Burdensomeness |
15.03; 13.68; 14.53; 13.78; 13.18; 11.5 | — |
| SECONDARY The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) |
4.85; 5.16; 4.69; 4.66; 4.87; 5.33 | — |
| SECONDARY App Engagement Scale (AES) for Mobile Applications |
— | — |
| SECONDARY Continuity of Care |
14.32; 14.15 | — |
| SECONDARY Suicide Attempts: Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) |
3; 3 | — |
Summary
The VA is committed to reducing suicide in the U.S. Veteran population. Over 6,000 Veterans die from suicide each year, and this risk is particularly high following a psychiatric hospitalization. This may be due to problems with engagement in care and poor social connectedness. Although the VA has implemented tools to address Veteran suicide risk, suicide after psychiatric discharge remains an ongoing problem. This has highlighted the need to develop new interventions and approaches to post-discharge mental health care within the VA. In response, this project is a randomized control trial of an intervention an intervention called Prevention of suicide: Education, Awareness, Connection, and Engagement (PEACE). This intervention is comprised of two synergistic and promising components to prevent suicide: 1) a mobile mental health app, which aims to improve social connectedness after discharge; and 2) a manual-based intervention called the Veterans Affairs Brief Intervention and Contact Program (VA-BIC), which promotes engagement in care. The overall goal of this study is to determine if the PEACE intervention combined with standard discharge care reduces suicidal ideation as compared to a control group receiving only standard discharge care.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Per the unit psychiatrist, hospitalization was due to concerns about acute risk for self-harm including suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and/or admitting provider deemed the patient was at imminent risk for self-harm;
- Be a Veteran eligible to receive VA services;
- Be 18 years or older;
- Be able to speak English;
- Have access to a smart phone and express willingness to download a mobile app.
Exclusion Criteria
- Unable to provide informed consent;
- The investigators do not plan to enroll any potentially vulnerable populations including prisoners, or involuntarily committed patients.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04446468). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.