Ongoing Research
Comparing Three Methods of Suicide
Safety Planning
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Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Suicide safety planning is an evidence-based preventative intervention used to help individuals with suicidal ideations maintain safety during a suicidal crisis. This study will compare the effectiveness and acceptability between a clinician-guided method, a self-guided safety planning website, and an interactive web-based tool, in order to inform new initiatives to improve suicide prevention and better serve clients in the future.
Cultural Consensus Modeling to Identify Culturally Relevant Risk Factors for Suicide
among Black Youth (PI Carla Sharp, University of Houston)
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.
2023-2025 Standard Research Innovation Grant
Cultural Consensus Modeling to Identify Culturally Relevant Risk Factors for Suicide among Sexual Minorities
Sexual minority youth report greater rates of suicidal ideation and attempts than their
heterosexual peers, but theoretical models of suicide and preventive interventions have been
developed with limited representation of sexual minority youth. This project utilizes Cultural
Consensus Modeling, a four-phase approach that starts with sexual minority youth themselves,
to help us identify culturally-informed models of suicide. What we learn may help us develop
and improve programs to prevent suicide among sexual minority young people.
Expanding the Geospatial Identification of Elevated Suicide Risk Model to Evaluate
Neighborhood Level Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Suicidal Behavior
As suicide risk screening becomes more 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. The present study demonstrates an analytic approach for using universal suicide risk screening data to identify areas of elevated suicide risk.