Culturally-appropriate tech tools to prevent suicide among Colombian schoolchildren
Official title: Harnessing culturally-appropriate, technology-assisted methods to advance suicide prevention among youth in Colombian school settings
Funded at Brown University · NIH-11400599 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project brings culturally-adapted apps and teacher training into Colombian schools to help reduce suicidal thoughts and support youth mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $137,577 |
| NIH project number | 3R34MH136232-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400599 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are students enrolled in participating primary and secondary schools in Colombia, especially adolescents or youth showing signs of suicide risk or mental-health difficulties.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not enrolled in participating schools, adults outside the school setting, or those needing immediate inpatient psychiatric care are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you are a student at a participating Colombian school, you would have access to a co-designed digital platform with self-help tools, a customizable safety plan, links to online counseling, and gamified content. Your teachers would use a companion digital interface with mental-health information, brief suicide-risk screening, and decision-support to help refer students to care. Teachers can also take a hybrid (online/in-person) mental health diploma program to strengthen school-based support. The project uses a multi-level implementation approach to fit local school settings and aims to close gaps in access to evidence-based prevention in a low- and middle-income country.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce suicidal thoughts and improve access to mental-health support for Colombian youth in schools.
How similar studies have gone: Related school-based digital tools and teacher gatekeeper training have shown promising results elsewhere, but this specific culturally-tailored, tech-plus-training approach in Colombia is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Brown University
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Desrosiers, Alethea — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Desrosiers, Alethea
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Mobile safety planning for at-risk young adults
A digital, text-based safety planning program for young adults (ages 18–24) to help prevent suicide and stay connected to support.
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INCLUSAVE: helping young adults with IDD access suicide-prevention trainings
A new NIH grant studies whether two proven gatekeeper trainings (ASIST and safeTALK) can be delivered in inclusive settings to support young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their communities.
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Technology-assisted suicide prevention for youth in Colombian school settings
A youth-focused program will test a culturally tailored digital platform and teacher training to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in schools.
-
Qnnections: A Social Connection‑Focused Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Veterans
A new group-based program tailored for LGBTQ+ Veterans aims to strengthen belonging and reduce burdensomeness to help prevent suicide.
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Nurse- and Peer-Led Suicide Prevention for Women in Tajikistan
A nurse- and peer-led program in Tajikistan aims to help women at risk of suicide by adding tailored, frontline support in primary care.
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Targeted online suicide prevention for Veterans
A web-based, one-session intervention for Veterans to reduce thoughts of suicide and self-harm by helping them manage distress and rigid thinking.
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.