Community conversations to help prevent suicide in Alaska Native communities
Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · NIH-11376759
This project offers community-led conversations and support to help Alaska Native adults and the young people they care for lower suicide risk.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (ANN ARBOR, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11376759 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If I join, I would take part in community learning circles called PC CARES where adults learn suicide prevention knowledge and skills. The project follows about 250 adults over multiple visits and tracks changes in knowledge, confidence, teamwork, and prevention behaviors, while also measuring community-wide effects in six randomly selected villages. Researchers will look at how ideas spread through social networks and will, for the first time, follow outcomes for youth connected to participating adults. The team will also work with communities to identify barriers and supports so the program can be sustained locally.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Alaska Native adults living in rural Alaskan communities who are willing to join community learning circles and who have youth or young adults in their lives.
Not a fit: People who do not live in rural Alaska Native communities, are not willing to join local sessions, or who need immediate clinical mental-health treatment rather than community prevention work may not benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase adult support and community coordination that helps protect Alaska Native youth from suicide.
How similar studies have performed: Community-based suicide prevention and peer-led conversation programs have shown promise in Indigenous settings, and this trial builds on that experience by tracking community and youth outcomes over time.
Where this research is happening
ANN ARBOR, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR — ANN ARBOR, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: WEXLER, LISA M. — UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- Study coordinator: WEXLER, LISA M.
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.