Recently Completed Research
Cultural Consensus Modeling to Identify Culturally Relevant Risk Factors for Suicide
among Black Youth (PI Carla Sharp, University of Houston)
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Rates of suicide and suicide-related behaviors have been increasing rapidly for Black youth. However, very little is known about suicide risk among Black youth, as the empirical literature has largely omitted Black youth from research to develop theories and interventions for suicide prevention. This grant will examine risk and protective factors for suicide among Black youth using a mixed-methods, bottom-up approach that champions the voices of Black youth, to better understand how to prevent Black youth suicide. (Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health)
Using Artificial Intelligence Avatars to Examine Factors Impacting the Efficacy of Firearm Secure Storage Messaging (Funded by the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center)
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Firearms are used in more than half of all suicide deaths in the United States. Means safety is designed to limit an individuals’ access to means for suicide. Little work has examined the elements or aspects of means safety that impact patients’ engagement in secure storage behaviors after receiving the information. This project utilized AI-generated avatars to deliver a means safety intervention online. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1 the race and occupation of the avatar were varied. In Experiment 2, the length and format (video or infographic) of the means safety message were varied. Results will evaluate the impact of these various conditions on willingness to securely store firearms following the intervention.
Expanding the Geospatial Identification of Elevated Suicide Risk Model to Evaluate
Neighborhood Level Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Suicidal Behavior
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As suicide risk screening becomes increasingly common in healthcare settings, geospatial coding of behavioral health data may offer a means for identifying areas of elevated suicide risk for use in public health prevention efforts. This study demonstrated an analytic approach for using universal suicide risk screening data to identify areas of elevated suicide risk. (Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health)
Exploring Bystander Recognition and Intervention to Life-Threatening Content on a Social Media Platform
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Over the past decade, social media use among college students has surged, becoming a platform where many share intimate and sometimes life-threatening thoughts before acting on them. These posts reach followers who may become bystanders faced with the decision to intervene, such as reporting the post or offering support. This study aims to explore whether college students can recognize these risks in posts and what actions they consider appropriate to prevent harm.