Suicide PreventionNCT06139887
Suicide Prevention Program for Veterans Discharged From Community Care Settings
A study testing BESST and Standard Mental Health Care in people with Suicide Prevention, run by White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to test an adapted suicide prevention program (the Building VA Engagement, Self-efficacy, and Social Support To Prevent Suicide or BESST) in rural Veterans discharged from community care mental health treatment settings. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Suicide Prevention
- What is being tested?
- BESST and Standard Mental Health Care
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2023to 17 Apr 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- The patient was recently discharged from a VA community care mental health treatment setting
- The patient is at risk for self-harm
- Be a patient connected to the White River Junction VA Medical Center (VAMC), the Togus VA Medical Center (VAMC), or the Manchester VA Medical Center (VAMC);
- Be a Veteran;
- Be 18 years or older;
- Be able to speak English;
Who cannot join
- Unable to provide informed consent;
- The investigators do not plan to enroll any potentially vulnerable populations including prisoners, institutionalized patients, or involuntarily committed patients;
- Study physician deems the patient not clinically appropriate
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
White River Junction VA Medical Center
White River Junction, Vermont, 05009
About this study
Official title: Examining a Strategy to Engage Rural Veteran Patients After Community Care Treatment
The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to test an adapted suicide prevention program (the Building VA Engagement, Self-efficacy, and Social Support To Prevent Suicide or BESST) in rural Veterans discharged from community care mental health treatment settings. The main question it aims to answer is:
- Does BESST combined with standard care improve suicide-related outcomes among this population compared to standard care alone?
Read more
Participants will be assigned by change to a treatment group. Some will receive the BESST intervention combined with standard care, and some will receive standard care alone. All participants will be in this research study for up to three months.
Those receiving the BESST intervention will have:
- 1 one-hour brief educational session;
- Seven follow-up check-ins (~30 minutes each)
All participants will have three assessment interviews where they will be asked about their mental health and treatment received outside of the VA.
The investigators will compare participants assigned to the BESST intervention combined with standard care vs participants assigned to standard care alone to see if the BESST intervention improves suicide-related outcomes.
- Conditions
- Suicide Prevention
- Being tested
- BESST, Standard Mental Health Care
- Keywords
- Mental health education, Clinical trial, Suicidal ideation, Suicide, attempted
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide Prevention, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide, Attempted
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
BESSTBehavioural
The BESST intervention is a suicide prevention program designed to meet the unique needs of Veterans receiving care from community mental health treatment settings. BESST can be delivered by a trained mental health staff member, such as a mental health nurse, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist. The intervention consists of two synergistic components that work to support the patient after a mental health-related discharge in community settings: 1) Brief educational session, where the patient receives a one-hour, one-on-one, personalized educational session on suicide prevention; 2) Seven regular contacts after discharge, where the study interventionist who delivered the brief educational visit will contact the patient to monitor the patient's symptoms, assess treatment adherence, review their safety plan, and assist the patient with engaging in care, if needed.
Standard Mental Health CareOther
Also called Standard Care
Patients randomized to the control arm will receive standard mental health care alone. Standard mental health care simply refers to the regular care provided to patients around the time of discharge from community care settings.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| BESST | Experimental | Patients randomized to the BESST intervention arm will receive the BESST intervention combined with standard mental health care. Receives: Behavioral: BESST; Other: Standard Mental Health Care |
| Control | Other | Patients randomized to the control arm will receive standard mental health care alone. Receives: Other: Standard Mental Health Care |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Suicidal Ideation: The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS)
The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS) ranges from 0-38. While there is no established BSS cutoff score to classify suicide risk, there is evidence that higher scores on the BSS correspond to more severe suicidal ideation and that a change of five points or more on the total BSS scores may be clinically relevant.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Secondary outcomes (8)
Hopelessness: Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)
The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) is a 20-item self-report scale that assesses hopelessness over the past seven days. Patients report on feelings about the future, loss of motivation, and future expectations. Total scores range from 0 to 20, with higher scores suggesting more hopelessness. The BHS has good reliability and validity and is sensitive to change. There is some evidence that the BHS may be a measure of risk of suicide.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Connectedness: Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) Perceived Burdensomeness
The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) is a 15-item self-report scale that measures thwarted belongingness (9 items) and perceived burdensomeness (6 items). Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale, with higher scores suggesting lower perceived connectedness. The score range for the entire scale is 15-105, with the score range for perceived burdensomeness being 6-42.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Connectedness: Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) Thwarted Belongingness
The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) is a 15-item self-report scale that measures thwarted belongingness (9 items) and perceived burdensomeness (6 items). Each item is measured on a 7-point Likert scale, with higher scores suggesting lower perceived connectedness. The score range for the entire scale is 15-105, with the score range for thwarted belongingness being 7-63.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES)
The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) is a valid scale of self-efficacy that is designed for the general population (12 years or older) and it has been tested in various countries. It is a 10-item psychometric scale that is designed to assess optimistic self-beliefs to cope with a variety of difficult demands in life. Total scores range from 10 to 40, with higher scores suggesting increased self-efficacy.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: Suicide-Related Coping Scale (SRCS) External Coping Subscale
The Suicide-Related Coping Scale (SRCS) includes 17 questions related to a patient's perception of their ability to cope with suicidal thoughts. Each item is assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. The scale includes two subscales including an External Coping subscale and an Internal Coping Subscale. The score range for the entire scale is 0-68 with the External Coping being 0-28 and the Internal Coping being 0-28. Higher scores indicate increased perception of suicide-related coping.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: Suicide Related Coping Scale (SRCS) Internal Coping Subscale
The Suicide-Related Coping Scale (SRCS) includes 17 questions related to a patient's perception of their ability to cope with suicidal thoughts. Each item is assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. The scale includes two subscales including an External Coping subscale and an Internal Coping Subscale. The score range for the entire scale is 0-68 with the External Coping being 0-28 and the Internal Coping being 0-28. Higher scores indicate increased perception of suicide-related coping.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Number of Participants With Suicide Attempts
Suicide attempts is measured using the seven-item subscale on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), a valid and reliable scale that asks patients to self-report on suicide attempts.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Number of Participants With Substance Use at 3 Months Post-baseline
The investigators will assess substance use at follow-up assessments using a timeline follow-back approach. This method is commonly used in research studies to assess substance use patterns. Numerical scores do not apply to this assessment.
Measured: 3 months post-baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Nov 2023
- Study start1 Oct 2023
- Primary completion17 Apr 2025
- Study completion17 Apr 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Suicide PreventionStudies 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants are assigned to one of two groups in parallel: BESST plus standard care vs. standard care alone.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Collaborators
- VHA Office of Rural Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Natalie Riblet, MD, MPH, Principal investigator, White River Junction VA Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06139887
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1701666
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 14 Nov 2023
- Last updated
- 5 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Examining a Strategy to Engage Rural Veteran Patients After Community Care Treatment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06139887
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1701666
- Conditions
- Suicide Prevention
- Keywords
- Mental health education, Clinical trial, Suicidal ideation, Suicide, attempted
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical CenterUS federal agency
- Collaborators
- VHA Office of Rural Health
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 17 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 17 Apr 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 18 Nov 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 22 Aug 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to test an adapted suicide prevention program (the Building VA Engagement, Self-efficacy, and Social Support To Prevent Suicide or BESST) in rural Veterans discharged from community care mental health treatment settings. The main question it aims to answer is:
- Does BESST combined with standard care improve suicide-related outcomes among this population compared to standard care alone?
Participants will be assigned by change to a treatment group. Some will receive the BESST intervention combined with standard care, and some will receive standard care alone. All participants will be in this research study for up to three months.
Those receiving the BESST intervention will have:
- 1 one-hour brief educational session;
- Seven follow-up check-ins (~30 minutes each)
All participants will have three assessment interviews where they will be asked about their mental health and treatment received outside of the VA.
The investigators will compare participants assigned to the BESST intervention combined with standard care vs participants assigned to standard care alone to see if the BESST intervention improves suicide-related outcomes.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants are assigned to one of two groups in parallel: BESST plus standard care vs. standard care alone.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| BESST | Experimental | Behavioral: BESST, Other: Standard Mental Health CarePatients randomized to the BESST intervention arm will receive the BESST intervention combined with standard mental health care. |
| Control | Other | Other: Standard Mental Health CarePatients randomized to the control arm will receive standard mental health care alone. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- The patient was recently discharged from a VA community care mental health treatment setting
- The patient is at risk for self-harm
- Be a patient connected to the White River Junction VA Medical Center (VAMC), the Togus VA Medical Center (VAMC), or the Manchester VA Medical Center (VAMC);
- Be a Veteran;
- Be 18 years or older;
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Unable to provide informed consent;
- The investigators do not plan to enroll any potentially vulnerable populations including prisoners, institutionalized patients, or involuntarily committed patients;
- Study physician deems the patient not clinically appropriate
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BESSTThe BESST intervention is a suicide prevention program designed to meet the unique needs of Veterans receiving care from community mental health treatment settings. BESST can be delivered by a trained mental health staff member, such as a mental health nurse, social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist. The intervention consists of two synergistic components that work to support the patient after a mental health-related discharge in community settings: 1) Brief educational session, where the patient receives a one-hour, one-on-one, personalized educational session on suicide prevention; 2) Seven regular contacts after discharge, where the study interventionist who delivered the brief educational visit will contact the patient to monitor the patient's symptoms, assess treatment adherence, review their safety plan, and assist the patient with engaging in care, if needed. | Behavioural | BESST |
| Standard Mental Health CareAlso: Standard CarePatients randomized to the control arm will receive standard mental health care alone. Standard mental health care simply refers to the regular care provided to patients around the time of discharge from community care settings. | Other | BESST, Control |
Primary outcome
Suicidal Ideation: The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS)
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS) ranges from 0-38. While there is no established BSS cutoff score to classify suicide risk, there is evidence that higher scores on the BSS correspond to more severe suicidal ideation and that a change of five points or more on the total BSS scores may be clinically relevant.
8 secondary outcomes
Hopelessness: Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Connectedness: Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) Perceived Burdensomeness
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Connectedness: Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15 (INQ-15) Thwarted Belongingness
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES)
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: Suicide-Related Coping Scale (SRCS) External Coping Subscale
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Patient Engagement: Suicide Related Coping Scale (SRCS) Internal Coping Subscale
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Number of Participants With Suicide Attempts
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Number of Participants With Substance Use at 3 Months Post-baseline
Time frame: 3 months post-baseline
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Sep 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Suicide
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.
Natalie Riblet, MD, MPH principal investigator
White River Junction VA Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing BESST and Standard Mental Health Care in people with Suicide Prevention, run by White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
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 6 inclusion and 3 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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 22 Aug 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Suicidal Ideation: The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS) (time frame: 3 months post-baseline). 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 5 Sep 2025.