Building Positive Skills for Teens at Risk of Suicide
Skills to Enhance Positivity (STEP) for Adolescents at Risk for Suicide
This project teaches teens simple skills to notice and boost positive feelings in hopes of lowering suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10868688 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered a program called Skills to Enhance Positivity (STEP) that teaches practical, brief exercises to help you pay attention to and savor positive experiences. Teens are randomly assigned to STEP or an enhanced usual-care program and are followed over time to track suicidal thoughts and events. The approach is based on the Broaden-and-Build theory and focuses on increasing positive affect rather than only reducing negative feelings. A prior small trial showed fewer suicidal events among STEP participants, and this project aims to test the program in a larger, controlled setting.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents with suicidal thoughts or recent suicidal behavior, especially those in or recently discharged from inpatient psychiatric care.
Not a fit: Adults, teens without suicidal risk, or people whose problems are dominated by other severe psychiatric conditions may not benefit from this specific positivity-focused program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could reduce suicidal thoughts and events in adolescents by strengthening positive emotions and coping skills.
How similar studies have performed: A small randomized pilot (N=52) showed STEP participants had about half as many suicidal events and larger drops in active suicidal ideation, but larger confirmatory trials are still needed.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Brown University — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spirito, Anthony — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Spirito, Anthony
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.