An interventional study of Lethal Means Counseling and Health and Stress Reduction in Intentional Self-Harm by Other Specified Means, sponsored by University of Southern Mississippi. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-05-20.
Sponsored by University of Southern Mississippi · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Among 386 studies in Suicide with a site in United States — 99 open to participants now, 113 under way, 2 of them phase 3. Suicide · United States.
Among the 386 studies in Suicide with a site in United States, this one is the 98th largest by enrollment of the 348 interventional ones, is one of 17 that started in 2017, is one of 288 with no phase, and was the 125th registered.
607 studies on the registry are indexed under Suicide; 162 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 232 is above the median of 104 across 490 interventional studies indexed under Suicide.
Browse Suicide studies →99 of the 386 studies in Suicide with a site in United States are open now, in 1 country. Each count lists the studies.
Of the 114 Suicide studies recruiting now, 54 (47%) set no upper age limit and 57 (50%) stop at 75 or younger; 52 take children under 18; 24 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years to 60 Years · all sexes · healthy volunteers too.
The full table on the hub →386 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 1990; this study’s year is marked. 17 started in 2017.
Median enrollment 91 across the 348 interventional studies, 172 across the 36 observational. Of the 251 that completed or were terminated, 103 (41%) have results posted.
15 of 386 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
University of Southern Mississippi is the lead sponsor of 13 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.
University of Southern Mississippi has 1 study filed under Suicide — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
43 of the studies in Suicide with a site in United States that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 1 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT05696691Phase 3The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioKetamine & Crisis Response Plan for Suicidal Ideation in the ED | 2026-12-31 |
| NCT05558332University of California, IrvineYouth Nominated Support Team | 2026-11 |
| NCT06470867VA Office of Research and DevelopmentRandomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial of VA S.A.V.E. | 2026-11-27 |
| NCT05897164Evidence-Based Practice Institute, Seattle, WAMobile Technology to Reduce Teen Substance Misuse | 2026-11-30 |
| NCT06460220Jennifer HughesSAFETY-Parent: Online Learning Module to Support Parents of Suicidal Youth | 2026-12 |
Among the 386 studies in Suicide with a site in United States, from their registry updates:
In 2013, the National Guard reported a suicide rate that was substantially higher than both the general population and the active duty component of the United States military. The prototypical National Guard suicide decedent appears to be a young male firearm owner not currently deployed who dies using his own gun. Prior research within the military has revealed that soldiers are unlikely to seek out or engage in mental health services. In sum, current best practices in suicide risk assessment are poorly equipped to identify the individuals most likely to die by suicide. This study aims to examine the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of a single lethal means counseling session as part of a suicide prevention approach targeting demographic groups overrepresented in National Guard firearm suicides. 232 firearm-owning National Guard personnel will be randomized to one of four conditions, each of which requires a single 15-25 minute session: (1) lethal means counseling (2) lethal means counseling plus the provision of free gun locks (3) health and stress control condition (4) health and stress control condition plus the provision of free gun locks. The investigators anticipate that those who receive lethal means counseling will subsequently store their personal firearms more safely and report being more willing to store their firearms away from the home during any hypothetical future suicidal crisis. The overarching goal of each hypothesis is to examine the extent to which gun owning young male National Guard personnel at varying levels of suicide risk are willing to engage in means safety.
In 2013, the National Guard reported a suicide rate that was substantially higher than both the general population and the active duty component of the United States military. The prototypical National Guard suicide decedent appears to be a young male firearm owner not currently deployed who dies using his own gun. Prior research within the military has revealed that soldiers are unlikely to seek out or engage in mental health services. In sum, current best practices in suicide risk assessment are poorly equipped to identify the individuals most likely to die by suicide. This study aims to examine the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of a single lethal means counseling session as part of a suicide prevention approach targeting demographic groups overrepresented in National Guard firearm suicides. The study will utilize a 2x2 Factorial Design: Intervention (Lethal Means Counseling, Health and Stress Control) X Gun-Lock (Provided, Not Provided). Participants will be 232 firearm owning National Guard personnel. Lethal Means Counseling comprises education on risk factors for suicide, information on preventative resources, and encouragement to store guns safely and to temporarily remove guns during high risk periods. The Health and Stress Program is designed to control for effects of general mental and physical health education in the active condition. Each condition utilizes a motivational interviewing framework. The overarching goal of each hypothesis is to examine the extent to which gun owning young male National Guard personnel at varying levels of suicide risk are willing to engage in safety planning and find means safety approaches acceptable
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
National Guard Personnel will receive a single 15-25 minute session of lethal means counseling. The session will focus on increasing the safety of current storage practices for personal firearms (e.g., storing unloaded in a secure location separate from ammunition) as well as planning to voluntarily and temporarily store firearms away from the home during any future hypothetical suicidal crisis. This intervention utilizes a motivational interviewing framework in an effort to remain sensitive to the views and culture of firearm owners.
Behavioral: Lethal Means Counseling
National Guard Personnel will receive a single 15-25 minute session of lethal means counseling. The session will focus on increasing the safety of current storage practices for personal firearms (e.g., storing unloaded in a secure location separate from ammunition) as well as planning to voluntarily and temporarily store firearms away from the home during any future hypothetical suicidal crisis. This intervention utilizes a motivational interviewing framework in an effort to remain sensitive to the views and culture of firearm owners. Individuals in this condition will also receive a free gun (cable) lock for each of their personal firearms.
Behavioral: Lethal Means Counseling
Individuals in this condition will take part in a single 15-25 minute session focused on reducing health vulnerabilities in one of four areas: diet, exercise, sleep, or stress. This condition is designed to control for the effects of active interaction with a clinicians (e.g. common factors). As with the experimental condition, this session will utilize a motivational interviewing framework.
Behavioral: Health and Stress Reduction
Individuals in this condition will take part in a single 15-25 minute session focused on reducing health vulnerabilities in one of four areas: diet, exercise, sleep, or stress. This condition is designed to control for the effects of active interaction with a clinicians (e.g. common factors). As with the experimental condition, this session will utilize a motivational interviewing framework. Individuals randomized to this condition will also receive a free gun (cable) lock for each of their personal firearms. This will control for whether the effect of the provision of gun locks is accounted for by the simultaneous use of lethal means counseling.
Behavioral: Health and Stress Reduction
Single session motivational interviewing based interaction aimed to increase the safe storage of firearms in an effort to reduce suicide risk.
Single session motivational interviewing based interaction aimed to reduce vulnerability to negative outcomes across four domains: sleep, diet, exercise, and stress.
Changes in Safe Storage of Personal Firearms
Whether firearms are stored (1) in a lock box or gun safe (yes/no) (2) loaded (yes/no) (3) separate from ammunition (yes/no) and (4) using a locking device (e.g. cable lock; yes/no)
Time frame: Change will be assessed at 3- and 6-month follow-up
Perceived Cultural Competence and Likelihood of Effectiveness of Lethal Means Counseling [Acceptability and Perceived Utility]
Degree to which lethal means counseling is experienced as culturally respectful and likely to be beneficial
Time frame: This will be assessed immediately after the intervention at baseline
Changes in Willingness to Seek Mental Health Care in the Future
Degree of openness to seeking future mental health care after receiving this intervention
Time frame: Change will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up
Changes Openness to Means Safety in the Future
Degree of openness to voluntarily and temporarily storing firearms away from the home during hypothetical future suicidal crises
Time frame: Change will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at 3- and 6-month follow-up
Plan to share: No — We are open to collaborating with other researchers and making data available on an individual basis. No personally identifiable information would be included and we would first seek the approval of the funding agency (Military Suicide Research Consortium) due to their use of Common Data Elements.
Ran from Jun 2017 to primary completion in Jul 2020, 37 months.
Of 308 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Suicide, half reached primary completion within 30 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 54. This study's 37 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 319 studies reached it within 30 months; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 53.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in May 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Southern Mississippi