R61 Phase: In this proof-of-concept phase, interventionists will administer 12 weeks of WellPATH-PREVENT in 40 middle-aged and older adults who have been discharged after being hospitalized for suicidal ideation or suicide attempt. The interventionist will help the patient incorporate the appropriate data (i.e., triggers, negative emotions, cognitive reappraisal techniques) into the tablet, train the patients on how to use the tablet, and coach them during the 12 weeks. There will be 4 assessments: At study entry (admission/during hospitalization), hospital discharge, 6, and 12 weeks. An EEG will be conducted upon entry into the study, at Week 6, and at Week 12.~R33 Phase: 75 middle-aged and older adults who have been recently discharged after a hospitalization for suicidal ideation or attempt will be recruited and randomized to an optimized version of WellPATH-PREVENT (Week 6 and Week 12 duration based on R61 results) or to Attention Control-Usual Care with a tablet (AC-UC). There will be 5 assessments: At study entry (admission/during hospitalization), discharge, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. Participants who exit the study prior to completion will be invited to have an assessment before termination as close to the scheduled time point as possible. Psychiatrically re-hospitalized participants will not be dropped from the study but will have an additional assessment and will continue the assessments as scheduled based on their initial hospitalization.
The goal of this project is to test whether WellPATH-PREVENT (a novel, mobile psychosocial intervention) improves a specific aspect of emotion regulation, i.e., cognitive reappraisal ability, and reduces suicide risk in middle-aged and older adults (50-90 years old) who have been discharged after a suicide-related hospitalization (i.e. for suicidal ideation or suicide attempt).