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Conducting Research with Individuals at Risk for Suicide: Protocol for Assessment and Risk Management
Author(s) -
WardCiesielski Erin F.,
Wilks Chelsey R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12602
Subject(s) - risk assessment , medicine , psychological intervention , suicide prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , protocol (science) , intervention (counseling) , human factors and ergonomics , harm , psychiatry , mental health , injury prevention , clinical psychology , psychology , medical emergency , computer security , alternative medicine , social psychology , pathology , computer science
Objective Suicide prediction, prevention, and intervention are urgent research areas. One barrier for research with high‐risk populations is limited resources to manage risk in a research setting. We describe using the University of Washington Risk Assessment Protocol (UWRAP) to assess and manage suicide risk during phone‐administered eligibility assessments in two clinical trials. Method Study 1 ( N = 151) recruited suicidal adults who were not engaged in mental health treatment and Study 2 ( N = 135) recruited suicidal adults who used alcohol to regulate emotions. Pre‐ and postassessment ratings of stress, urge to harm self, urge to use drugs/alcohol, and intent to harm self were compared and strategies to manage increased suicide risk following screening interviews were implemented, as indicated. Results In both studies, average postassessment ratings were significantly lower than pre‐assessment. A minority of participants reported higher ratings on one or more domains; however, following more thorough suicide risk assessment, risk was appropriately managed by providing low‐level interventions (e.g., validation). Conclusions Suicide risk in research involving community participants can be managed by using appropriate risk protocols.