DBT Skills Groups for Veterans at High Risk for Suicide Attempt

Last updated: February 13, 2025
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

Suicide

Treatment

DBT-SG

VHA treatment as usual

Clinical Study ID

NCT05000749
SDR 20-136
  • Ages > 18
  • All Genders

Study Summary

Veteran suicide death is a national crisis. Risk factors include emotion dysregulation, which occurs across mental health disorders. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based suicide intervention that targets emotion dysregulation but is resource-intensive and not widely available at VHA. A more efficient evidence-based DBT Skills Group (DBT-SG) is associated with reduced suicidal ideation and emotion dysregulation and likely more feasible to implement at VHA. This is a randomized controlled trial to test whether DBT-SG in addition to VHA treatment-as-usual, compared to only VHA treatment-as-usual, reduces Veteran emotion dysregulation.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Veteran eligible for VHA care at participating site

  • two or more suicide attempts in lifetime, with one in past 12 months, onColumbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)

  • current suicidal ideation (endorsing a suicidal ideation scale of at least 1 [passive ideation] on C-SSRS

  • emotion dysregulation (score 95 or greater on DERS)

  • can attend group sessions

  • willing to provide contact information for at least one person who can help locatethe participant if study staff are unable to contact them (information for threecontact persons will be requested; a participant must provide at least one contactperson's information to be included in the study)

  • access to telephone; if insufficient access to videoteleconference and localfacility is using remote procedures for study, willing to request access toVA-provided device

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • significant cognitive impairment (score < 28 on modified Telephone Interview forCognitive Status (mTICS)

  • inability to read English or communicate in spoken and written English

  • plan to move away or be unavailable in the next 18 months

Study Design

Total Participants: 172
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: DBT-SG
Phase:
Study Start date:
April 30, 2023
Estimated Completion Date:
February 26, 2027

Study Description

This is a randomized controlled trial at four VHA medical centers. Veterans will be randomized to VHA treatment-as-usual or VHA treatment-as-usual plus DBT-SG.

Connect with a study center

  • VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

    San Diego, California 92161-0002
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT

    West Haven, Connecticut 06516-2770
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL

    Tampa, Florida 33612
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • New Mexico VA Health Care System, Albuquerque, NM

    Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108-5153
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

    Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1702
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

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