An interventional study of IPT-A-SCI in Suicidal Ideation and Suicidal Behavior, sponsored by Tel Aviv University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Israel. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 18 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-11.
Sponsored by Tel Aviv University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the Ultra-Brief Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents with Suicidal Ideation (IPT-A-SCI) works to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents. The study will also examine whether treatment effects continue after treatment ends and whether some participants benefit more from the intervention than others. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does IPT-A-SCI reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents? Do the effects of IPT-A-SCI continue three months after treatment ends? Do some children and adolescents benefit more from IPT-A-SCI than others?
Participants will:
Receive IPT-A-SCI treatment consisting of five weekly sessions Complete questionnaires before treatment, during treatment, at the end of treatment, and three months after treatment ends Have their parents complete questionnaires at the same time points
IPT-A-SCI (Ultra-Brief Crisis Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents with Suicidal Ideation) is a manualized five-session crisis intervention based on Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) principles.
IPT-A-SCI is designed for children and adolescents aged 8-18 presenting with suicidal ideation or behavior. The intervention combines IPT principles with the Safety Planning Intervention and includes a three-month post-intervention contact protocol.
This is a single-group, pre-post interventional study with repeated measures collected at four time points. All participants will receive the IPT-A-SCI intervention. There is no control or comparison group in this study, as the research focuses on within-person mechanisms of change and moderators of treatment response rather than between-group comparisons.
Participants will be recruited from the Child and Adolescent Clinic at Geha Mental Health Center through emergency room referrals, outpatient providers, and treating therapists at the clinic. Initial evaluation and suicide risk assessment will be conducted by experienced clinical staff according to established clinical guidelines for suicide risk assessment in adolescents.
Up to 120 participants will be enrolled over an estimated two-year recruitment period.
During the three months following treatment, participants will receive three personalized emails at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months post-treatment. A follow-up session will take place three months after treatment completion. Psychiatric or psychosocial treatment may continue as usual during IPT-A-SCI.
Statistical Analysis Plan:
Three complementary analytic frameworks will be used:
Latent Change Score (LCS) modeling will be used to assess changes in suicidal ideation and related clinical outcomes from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up. Associations between changes in proposed mechanisms and changes in suicidality will be examined to identify factors that may contribute to treatment effectiveness.
Linear Mixed-Effects Models (LMMs) will be used to examine whether treatment effectiveness varies according to baseline participant characteristics, including initial suicide risk severity and other demographic and clinical variables. These analyses will identify moderators of treatment response and determine which participants derive the greatest benefit from the intervention.
Missing data will be handled in accordance with established best practices for longitudinal clinical research. The analytic approaches described above accommodate missing data under missing-at-random assumptions.
Data Collection and Management:
Safety Monitoring and Ethical Considerations:
This study focuses on children and adolescents at risk for suicide. The Child and Adolescent Clinic at Geha Mental Health Center is located on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital with a 24/7 emergency room. Participants presenting with acute suicidal crisis during the study may be referred immediately for emergency psychiatric evaluation.
All treating clinicians are trained in suicide risk assessment and management. Adverse events, including worsening suicidal ideation or behavior, will be documented and reported in accordance with Helsinki Committee requirements and Good Clinical Practice guidelines.
No formal Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) is in place for this study given its single-site naturalistic design. Clinical oversight will be provided through routine supervision and case conferencing.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will receive the IPT-A-SCI intervention consisting of five weekly sessions of ultra-brief interpersonal psychotherapy combined with safety planning for suicidal ideation and behavior.
Behavioral: IPT-A-SCI
Manualized ultra-brief interpersonal psychotherapy intervention combined with safety planning for children and adolescents with suicidal ideation or behavior.
Change in Severity of Suicidal Ideation
Change in severity of suicidal ideation and behavior assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). The C-SSRS assesses the severity of suicidal ideation and the occurrence of suicidal behaviors. The suicidal ideation severity score ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater severity of suicidal ideation.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Intensity of Suicidal Ideation
Change in intensity of suicidal ideation assessed using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) ideation intensity scale. The C-SSRS assesses the intensity of the most severe suicidal ideation endorsed by evaluating five dimensions: frequency, duration, controllability, deterrents, and reasons for ideation. Total scores range from 0 to 25, with a score of 0 assigned when no suicidal ideation is endorsed and scores from 2 to 25 indicating increasing intensity of suicidal ideation. Higher scores indicate more intense suicidal ideation and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Depressive Symptoms
Change in depressive symptoms assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Scores range from 0 to 26, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptom severity and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Perceived Social Support
Change in perceived social support assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Scores range from 12 to 84, with higher scores indicating greater perceived social support and a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Emotional Processing (Alexithymia)
Change in emotional processing and alexithymia assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater difficulty identifying and describing emotions (greater alexithymia) and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Hope
Change in hope assessed using the Children's Hope Scale (CHS). Scores range from 6 to 36, with higher scores indicating greater hopefulness and a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Family Conflict and Interpersonal Stress
Change in family conflict and interpersonal stress assessed using the Family Environment Scale (FES) conflict subscale. Scores range from 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating greater family conflict and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Irritability and Emotional Dysregulation
Change in irritability and emotional dysregulation assessed using the parent-report TIDES-13 questionnaire. Total scores range from 13 to 91, with higher scores indicating greater irritability and emotional dysregulation and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Change in Interpersonal and Social Functioning
Change in interpersonal and social functioning assessed using EFORTS social routine measures. Scores range from 0 to 5. with higher scores indicating better social routine functioning and executive functioning in daily activities and therefore a better outcome.
Time frame: Baseline to 3-month follow-up
Behavioral and Emotional Problems at Baseline
Behavioral and emotional problems assessed using the parent-report Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). This measure will be used for descriptive and covariate analyses. Raw scores vary according to age and sex and are converted to standardized T-scores. Higher T-scores indicate greater emotional and behavioral problems and a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline only
Plan to share: Undecided
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Tel Aviv University