PS33 - Charting New Fronts: Pioneering Effective Interventions for Adolescent Self-Harm and Suicidality

Preventing Suicide With Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youths (SAFETY): A Randomized Feasibility Trial
August, 30 | 14:00 - 15:30

Introduction: Suicide is the leading cause of death in the age span 10-18 years in Sweden. Suicide attempt is the most robust predictor of future attempts and suicide death. Yet, most youths presenting with a suicide attempt to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry are not offered evidence-based treatment targeting suicide risk. Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youths (SAFETY) is a promising scalable cognitive behavioral family suicide prevention program designed to fill this critical gap. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of offering SAFETY compared to an active control condition for youth with suicidal behavior within Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Stockholm, Sweden. Methods: The current study was a randomized clinical feasibility trial (N=30), comparing SAFETY to the active control condition Supportive Therapy. Treatment duration was 12-20 sessions across 12 weeks. The trial enrolled youth (10-17 years of age), along with their parents, presenting with recent suicidal behavior (last 3 months) to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Feasibility outcomes included treatment and assessment adherence, client satisfaction, as well as the presence of treatment-related adverse events. Results: Thirty families (youth mean [SD] age, 14.6 [1.48] years; 93% female) were randomized to either SAFETY (n=15) or Supportive Therapy (n=15). The mean number of completed sessions for youths was 12.7 (SD=2.91). In total 87% of the participants had complete assessment data at post-treatment, and 94% at 3-month post-treatment. Client satisfaction was in general rated as “very high” at post-treatment in both conditions. Treatment-related adverse events were observed in 7% of the participants. Conclusions: Results suggest that both SAFETY and the active control condition Supportive Therapy are feasible, acceptable, and safe treatments.

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