How decision-making affects suicidal thoughts and behaviors in older adults
Decision Processes in Late-Life Suicide
This project follows older adults with depression to track daily mood, thinking, sleep, and social connections to find patterns that come before suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326841 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will continue following an active group of high-suicide-risk older adults and recruit additional older adults with depression, some with past suicide attempts and some without. You would have regular clinical visits about mood, thinking, and suicidal thoughts, and for short periods you would answer brief phone surveys twice daily and take short cognitive tasks while wearing a small activity monitor that tracks sleep and daily rhythms. The team will compare people whose suicidal behavior began earlier in life versus later to see whether different patterns predict risk. The aim is to capture everyday decision moments and changing patterns that signal increased suicide risk in late life.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults with depression, especially those with a history of suicide attempts (early-onset or late-onset) or depressed people without attempts for comparison.
Not a fit: People without depression or suicidal thoughts, much younger adults, or those unable or unwilling to use a smartphone or wear an activity monitor are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help spot early warning patterns of suicide risk so clinicians can offer more timely, personalized support to older adults with depression.
How similar studies have performed: Similar ecological momentary assessment and actigraphy methods have shown promise in detecting short-term suicide risk in other groups, but applying them specifically to late-life depression and contrasting early versus late-onset attempters is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gujral, Swathi — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Gujral, Swathi
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.