Making short coping plans more helpful using phones and wearables

Optimizing Brief Coping Skills Interventions for Suicide Prevention: Leveraging Technology and Novel Statistical Models for Precision Mental Health

['FUNDING_R01'] · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · NIH-11238883

Researchers will use phone check-ins and wearable sensors to learn when brief safety plans help people recently discharged from psychiatric hospitals who are at high risk for suicide.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_R01']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorOHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (nih funded)
Locations1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11238883 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

If you join, the team will follow you after a psychiatric hospital stay and ask short surveys on your phone at multiple times a day, while collecting data from a wearable device and periodic clinician check-ins. The goal is to find the personal warning signs, contexts, and times when using a safety plan would be most helpful. The study will combine these everyday reports and wearable signals with new statistical methods to tailor when and how coping strategies should be offered. About 240 people will take part in this naturalistic follow-up to better understand real-world use of brief coping plans.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people recently discharged from an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization who are considered at high risk for suicide and can use a smartphone and wearable device.

Not a fit: Those who are not recently hospitalized for suicidal crises, cannot or will not use a smartphone or wearable, or cannot complete frequent brief surveys are less likely to benefit directly from this work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make safety plans more useful by telling you when and how to use them in moments of high risk, potentially lowering the chance of a suicide attempt.

How similar studies have performed: Prior safety-planning and phone-based monitoring studies have shown promise, but combining wearables with precision statistical models to time interventions is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Columbus, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.