Improving Momentary Suicide Risk Identification Through Adaptive Time Sampling
Funding Source: National Institute of Mental Health | R21MH131978
Description: This research will address a significant health concern, the rise of suicide rates, by developing an adaptive time assessment system to provide a more nuanced insight into the time course of suicidal thoughts and prominent risk factors. Through enhanced identification of when individuals are at risk for suicide, this will allow for early implementation of suicide prevention and intervention efforts and ultimately reduce suffering and mortality.
This project is housed at UW-Madison and is in collaboration with Dr. Ross Jacobucci (UW Center for Healthy Minds), Dr. Allison Cheng (Notre Dame), Notre Dame Center for Research Computing, and Dr. Taylor Burke (Massachusetts General Hospital).
EMERGE: Ecological Momentary Evaluation of Responses to Gain/Loss and Emotions
Funding Source: National Institute of Mental Health | R01MH128546
Description: Most research on suicide risk factors has identified static, dispositional factors. These data inform us about groups at actuarial risk, but do very little to predict with useful precision when people will have suicidal thoughts or act on suicide thoughts. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify proximal risk factors for suicide risk. Two of the leading factors distally associated with increased suicide risk are dysfunctional emotional responses5 and decision-making deficits. Suicidal individuals have poorer reinforcement learning, demonstrating impaired ability to learn and modify behavior in response to reward and punishment. Individuals at high risk for suicide also show difficulties learning from punishment and reward. In this study we will examine both emotional and cognitive processes associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors using ecological momentary assessment methods.
This project is housed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is in collaboration with Dr. Katie Dixon-Gordon (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Dr. Edward Boudreaux (University of Massachusetts Medical School), and Dr. Niels Rathlev (Baystate Medical School).
Levering Noninvasive Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Smartphone Technology to Reduce Suicidal Behaviors and Suicide Among Highly Vulnerable Adolescents.
Funding Source: National Institute of Mental Health | R01MH133226
Description: Suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and suicide are increasingly common in adolescence. Current face-to-face prevention approaches are of limited effectiveness, rely on extensive resources, and are at odds with adolescents’ digital preferences. We will evaluate two unconventional but promising interventions delivered to 13- to 17-year-olds: transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation to target emotion dysregulation, and a peer-support smartphone app to combat social isolation. If effective, these digitally-delivered interventions could reach far more adolescents at far lower cost than current approaches.
This project is housed at the University of Notre Dame and is in collaboration with Dr. Kristin Valentino (University of Notre Dame), Dr. Arielle Sheftall (University of Rochester), Dr. Ross Jacobucci (UW Center for Health Minds), and Dr. Jeremy Jamieson (University of Rochester).