How daily emotions and reactions to rewards or losses relate to suicidal thoughts
EMERGE: Ecological Momentary Evaluation of Responses to Gain/Loss and Emotions
This work uses smartphone prompts and quick decision tasks to track emotions and reactions to wins and losses to find patterns linked to near-term suicidal thoughts in people recently treated in emergency departments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Amherst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hadley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11250144 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to complete short surveys and quick decision-making tasks on a smartphone several times a day to report your mood and how you respond to small rewards or losses. The study plans to enroll about 170 people who were recently treated in an emergency department for suicidal thoughts or behaviors and follow them over time. Researchers will combine these real-time reports with clinical information to look for emotional and learning patterns that come before spikes in suicidal thinking. The aim is to identify short-term warning signs that routine assessments miss so care can be better timed.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people recently treated in an emergency department for suicidal thoughts or behaviors who can complete frequent brief smartphone-based surveys.
Not a fit: People who are not currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, those whose emergency treatment was long ago, or those unable to use a smartphone may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help clinicians spot short-term warning signs and tailor interventions to prevent suicidal crises.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows emotions and learning differences relate to suicide risk and ecological momentary assessment methods have shown promise, but using them to predict near-term suicidal thoughts is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Hadley, United States
- University of Massachusetts Amherst — Hadley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dixon-Gordon, Katherine Lee — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Dixon-Gordon, Katherine Lee
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.