U.S. National Suicide Prevention Research Efforts: 2008-2013 Portfolio Analyses Short-Term Research Objective 2.B. Short-Term Research Objective 2.B. Improve care efficiencies and decision making tools by identifying screening approaches with concurrent and predictive validity with multiple care settings. Funding Organization: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Study Title: Multilingual Assessment of Suicidal Ideation and Behavior on the Internet Principal Investigator: Yan Leykin Year When Study First Received Funding: 2012 Abstract: Mood disorders, such as major depression, are the most common precursor of suicide attempts and suicide. Depressed individuals often go online to find information about their disorder, as well as to find help for their symptoms. Many choose to turn to the Internet instead of connecting to trained professionals, for reasons that may range from lack of access to standard treatment to unwillingness to engage with providers because of stigma or other sociocultural factors. Given that many individuals who attempt or seriously contemplate suicide are never seen by qualified mental health professionals, it is imperative to study their needs and experiences in the medium of their choice the Internet. Dr. Leykin will recruit 1400 English-, Spanish-, Chinese-, and Russian-speaking participants worldwide. Participants will complete a depression screening instrument and receive feedback on their results in their language. All participants will be invited to participate in a follow-up study. Participants consenting to the follow-up study will complete a more extensive survey, which will include the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire, a comprehensive questionnaire on suicidal ideation and behavior, and will be offered personalized feedback based on their responses. Individuals exhibiting suicidal ideation will be directed to resources in their language. Results of the study will help in the creation of targeted outreach and psychoeducation programs that encourage individuals to seek care. Funding Organization: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Study Title: Suicidal Ideation in Older Prisoners: The Role of Functional Disability Principal Investigator: Lisa Barry Year When Study First Received Funding: 2012 Abstract: Suicide is the leading cause of death among prisoners. Trends show that suicide rates increase with age, and the fastest-growing prison population is age 50 and older, indicating a risk of increasing suicide rates in our prisons. Among the elderly, disability in acts of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing and dressing, is associated with suicidal ideation above and beyond other known risk factors such as a previous suicide attempt or depression. In prison, in addition to the typical ADLs, prisoners engage in prison-specific ADLs (PADLs), like being able to drop to the floor, walk to meals, hear instructions, or get up onto a bunk bed. Dr. Barry will administer interviews and questionnaires to 190 prisoners in three Connecticut prisons to examine the role of PADLs as well as other ADLs and known risk factors for suicidal ideation and behavior. These risk factors include psychiatric and medical illness, depression, social support, history of alcohol or drug use problems, prison sentence, and type of offense. If PADLs are indeed contributing to suicidal ideation, there may be easy remedies to help reduce suicidal ideation. 1 U.S. National Suicide Prevention Research Efforts: 2008-2013 Portfolio Analyses Short-Term Research Objective 2.B. Funding Organization: Department of Defense Study Title: Toward a Gold Standard for Suicide Risk Assessment for Military Personnel Principal Investigator: Peter Gutierrez &Thomas Joiner Year When Study First Received Funding: 2012 Abstract: Specific Aims: The proposed study will pit several psychometrically sound suicide risk assessment measures against one another, to determine which tool or combination of tools optimally assesses the likelihood of future suicide-related indices over a three month period, in a large sample of military personnel seeking services from or referred to inpatient psychiatry, outpatient behavioral health, or the emergency department because of suicide risk concern. We will also test whether a simple self-report measure performs as well or better than more comprehensive interview-based assessment approaches and if there is a benefit to combining the two assessment methods. If funded, this project will be initiated in the second year of a projected 5-year award for the MSRC. As such, the study is designed with a three year timeline to optimize recruitment and data collection efforts. The risk assessment measures are: 1) Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; Posner et al., 2011); 2) Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ; Gutierrez, Osman, Barrios, & Kopper, 2001); 3) Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R; Osman, Bagge, Gutierrez, Konick, Kopper, & Barrios, 2001). These measures were selected because of their existing data regarding reliability and validity when used in clinical settings, broad-spectrum coverage of the suicidal behavior domain, and promise of predictive validity. Hypothesis: Because no research has evaluated the ability of existing measures to assess the likelihood of suicidal behavior in the future, no specific hypotheses are being made regarding the measures selected for this study. Instead, our intention is to determine which of the selected measures has the best combination of positive and negative predictive power. Funding Organization: Department of Defense Study Title: Identifying Factors Associated with Future Suicidal Self-directed Violence within a Sample of Mississippi National Guard Personnel Principal Investigator: Michael Anestis Year When Study First Received Funding: 2013 Abstract: Problem: Prominent models of suicide risk tested primarily on civilians and prior suicidal selfdirected violence. Prior work relies heavily upon single method/self-report methodology and assumes risk is similar across time. Current risk assessments struggle to identify future attempters. Hypothesis: Emerging models of risk (e.g., IPTS, elevated distress tolerance) will significantly predict past and future suicidal behavior. Military Relevance: Results based specifically on military sample and include potential methods to overcome barriers of self-report data 2