Adolescent SuicidalitySMMASHNCT02719275
Social Media Markers of Adolescents' Suicide Hazard
An observational study of Adolescent Suicidality, run by Sinead Nugent.
Trial summary
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for teenage youth in Canada, and every year tens of thousands of young people engage in suicidal behaviors. Many young people manifest red-flag behaviors in the digital realm before these incidents occur. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 12 to 17 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Adolescent Suicidality
- What is being tested?
- Social Media Monitoring
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Apr 2016to Apr 2017
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 12 to 17 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Study population: We aim to recruit a total of 200 subjects in the four different arms of the study. First arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of potentially lethal suicidal behavior. This group consists of patients whose suicidal behavior could have ended their lives or significantly compromised their health in the absence of timely interception or intervention. We use this cohort as a proxy for "would be" completers. Second arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of non-lethal suicidal behavior. This group includes patients who are admitted because of suicidal ideation without any attempt, or suicidal behaviors that would not have ended their lives or caused significant compromise in their health. Third arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE due to mental health crises other than suicidal behavior. Fourth arm: 50 adolescents admitted to BCCH for reasons not related to mental health.
Who may be able to join
- use social media
- patient of BCCH
Who cannot join
- no use of social media
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet.
About this study
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for teenage youth in Canada, and every year tens of thousands of young people engage in suicidal behaviors. Many young people manifest red-flag behaviors in the digital realm before these incidents occur. The faceless nature of online communication often emboldens youth to reveal details about their mental state: leaving tell-tale signs or "bread crumbs" of their suicidal intentions or behaviors.
This research will examine the content of adolescents social media entries to find red flags and detect patterns in social media interactions of adolescents that could be predictive of subsequent suicide risk. The study participants will be patients admitted to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Emergency unit at BCCH, subdivided into two groups: those admitted due to suicidal behaviors, and those admitted for non-suicidal behaviors. The text of social media activity for the month prior to emergency admission of the two groups will be collected, anonymized, and analyzed using text-analytic algorithms. The objective of the study is to find patterns and indicators of social media entries, prior to admission, that would have been predictive of suicidality.
The implications of successful outcome of this project for mental health care of children and adolescents reaches well beyond the scope of this study. An objective method to predict risk of suicidal behaviors in youth has application in almost all pediatric clinical settings. The outcomes of this project will also serve as the foundation for further utilization of social sensing technology to identify, predict, and prevent many other mental health crises in children and adolescents.
- Conditions
- Adolescent Suicidality
- Being tested
- Social Media Monitoring
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Social Media MonitoringBehavioural
Retrospective analyses of social media activity prior to crisis.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Suicidal Behaviour | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring | |
| Suicidal Ideation | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring | |
| Other Mental Health | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring | |
| Other Health | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Algorithm development to predict suicidal crisis.
Measured: 10 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Potential Predictors of crisis.
Measured: 10 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Mar 2016 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2016
- Primary completionApr 2017 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Adolescent SuicidalityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Sinead Nugent
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Sinead Nugent, British Columbia Children's Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02719275
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H16-00524
- Acronym
- SMMASH
- Status last verified
- Mar 2016
- First submitted
- 21 Mar 2016
- Last updated
- 25 Mar 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Mar 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Social Media Markers of Adolescents' Suicide Hazard
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02719275
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SMMASH / H16-00524
- Conditions
- Adolescent Suicidality
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Sinead NugentUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Apr 2016
- Primary completion
- Apr 2017 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Mar 2016 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for teenage youth in Canada, and every year tens of thousands of young people engage in suicidal behaviors. Many young people manifest red-flag behaviors in the digital realm before these incidents occur. The faceless nature of online communication often emboldens youth to reveal details about their mental state: leaving tell-tale signs or "bread crumbs" of their suicidal intentions or behaviors.
This research will examine the content of adolescents social media entries to find red flags and detect patterns in social media interactions of adolescents that could be predictive of subsequent suicide risk. The study participants will be patients admitted to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Emergency unit at BCCH, subdivided into two groups: those admitted due to suicidal behaviors, and those admitted for non-suicidal behaviors. The text of social media activity for the month prior to emergency admission of the two groups will be collected, anonymized, and analyzed using text-analytic algorithms. The objective of the study is to find patterns and indicators of social media entries, prior to admission, that would have been predictive of suicidality.
The implications of successful outcome of this project for mental health care of children and adolescents reaches well beyond the scope of this study. An objective method to predict risk of suicidal behaviors in youth has application in almost all pediatric clinical settings. The outcomes of this project will also serve as the foundation for further utilization of social sensing technology to identify, predict, and prevent many other mental health crises in children and adolescents.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Retrospective
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Suicidal Behaviour | – | Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring |
| Suicidal Ideation | – | Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring |
| Other Mental Health | – | Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring |
| Other Health | – | Behavioral: Social Media Monitoring |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 12 to 17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
- Study population
- We aim to recruit a total of 200 subjects in the four different arms of the study. First arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of potentially lethal suicidal behavior. This group consists of patients whose suicidal behavior could have ended their lives or significantly compromised their health in the absence of timely interception or intervention. We use this cohort as a proxy for "would be" completers. Second arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE because of non-lethal suicidal behavior. This group includes patients who are admitted because of suicidal ideation without any attempt, or suicidal behaviors that would not have ended their lives or caused significant compromise in their health. Third arm: 50 adolescents admitted to CAPE due to mental health crises other than suicidal behavior. Fourth arm: 50 adolescents admitted to BCCH for reasons not related to mental health.
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- use social media
- patient of BCCH
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- no use of social media
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media MonitoringRetrospective analyses of social media activity prior to crisis. | Behavioural | Other Health, Other Mental Health, Suicidal Behaviour, Suicidal Ideation |
Primary outcome
Algorithm development to predict suicidal crisis.
Time frame: 10 months
1 secondary outcome
Potential Predictors of crisis.
Time frame: 10 months
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Mar 2016.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Adolescent Suicidality, run by Sinead Nugent.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Mar 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Sinead M Nugent, M.Sc ((604) 875-2345 ext. 6685, sinead.nugent@cw.bc.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Algorithm development to predict suicidal crisis. (time frame: 10 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Mar 2016.