Evaluation of a School-Based Training Program for Suicide Prevention
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00118443 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : July 11, 2005
Last Update Posted : June 28, 2013
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Suicide | Behavioral: Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training | Phase 2 Phase 3 |
The rate of suicide among adolescents has significantly increased in recent years. Psychiatric disorders are often associated with increased suicide risk; therefore, the ability to identify adolescents with signs of depression and other psychiatric conditions is clear. This study will determine the effectiveness of a suicide prevention training program called Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) in increasing the number of potentially suicidal adolescents who are referred to mental health services. The training is designed to help school staff recognize signs that a student may be suicidal, provide tips on how to question students about any suicidal thoughts they may have, and provide techniques to persuade students to seek suicide prevention help.
School staff will be randomly assigned to either receive QPR training for 2 years starting immediately or be placed on a waiting list for later training. The rates of referral to the school district's prevention/intervention centers will be used to assess the effectiveness of QPR training. In addition, the impact of QPR training on school staff members' knowledge and attitudes about intervening with at-risk students will be assessed through surveys at four time points over the 2-year study duration with a randomly selected portion of staff in the 32 participating schools. Surveys completed by randomly selected 8th and 10th grade students will also be used to determine whether the intervention is effective in reducing suicidal thoughts or attempts.
Study hypothesis: More students in schools that have Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)-trained staff will be referred for a mental health evaluation than in schools without QPR-trained staff.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 50000 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Prevention |
Official Title: | RCT of Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention |
Study Start Date : | March 2004 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | December 2006 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | December 2006 |
- Rates of referrals for students identified as suicidal risks
- school staff knowledge and attitudes
- outcomes of mental health evaluations for accurate detection of suicidal risk

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Ages Eligible for Study: | Child, Adult, Older Adult |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria for School Staff Members:
- Currently working as a staff member in Cobb County school district
Inclusion Criteria for Students:
- Parent or guardian willing to provide informed consent

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00118443
United States, Georgia | |
Cobb County School District | |
Marietta, Georgia, United States, 30061 |
Principal Investigator: | Peter Wyman, PhD | University of Rochester |
Responsible Party: | Peter Wyman, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00118443 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
R34MH071189 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) R34MH071189 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) DSIR 82-SEDR |
First Posted: | July 11, 2005 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | June 28, 2013 |
Last Verified: | June 2013 |
Suicide Prevention Depression Adolescent Students School Teachers |
Suicide Self-Injurious Behavior Behavioral Symptoms |