Citation

Babeva KN, Klomhaus AM, Sugar CA, Fitzpatrick O, Asarnow JR. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/sltb.12573

PMID

31350782

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a leading cause of adolescent death. Recent data support the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatments with strong family components for reducing suicide risk; however, not all youth benefit from current interventions. Identifying predictors of treatment response can inform treatment selection and optimize benefits.

METHOD: This study examines predictors of response to a DBT-informed cognitive-behavioral family treatment (SAFETY), among 50 youth with recent suicide attempts/self-harm. Youth and parents were assessed at baseline and post-treatment.

RESULTS: Results indicated medium-to-large effect sizes for SAFETY on youth suicidal behavior (SB; defined as suicide attempts, aborted attempts, and planning), depression, hopelessness, social adjustment, and parental depression. Classification tree analysis, with a correct classification rate of 93.3%, and follow-up logistic analyses indicated that 35% of youths reporting active SB at baseline reported active SB at post-treatment, whereas post-treatment SB was rare among youths whose active suicidality had resolved by the baseline assessment (5%). Among youths reporting baseline SB, those endorsing sleep problems were more likely to report post-treatment SB (53%) versus those without sleep problems (0%).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the potential value of personalized treatment approaches based on pretreatment characteristics and the significance of baseline SB and sleep problems for predicting treatment response.

© 2019 The American Association of Suicidology.

Language: en