Sleep and suicide risk after psychiatric hospital discharge in Veterans
Official title: Longitudinal Assessment of the Sleep-Suicide Link in Veterans Discharged from Inpatient Psychiatric Care
Funded at Providence VA Medical Center · NIH-11407532 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows Veterans after psychiatric hospitalization and tracks sleep with a wearable and daily smartphone prompts to link sleep patterns with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Providence VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX002534-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11407532 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans who are hospitalized for psychiatric care and are willing to wear a sleep tracker and complete brief smartphone surveys after discharge for six months.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not Veterans, not recently hospitalized in psychiatric care, unable or unwilling to use a wearable or smartphone, or without sleep problems are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You would be enrolled while in inpatient psychiatric care and then followed for six months after you leave the hospital. The study will give you a wrist-worn sleep tracker (actigraphy) and send short surveys several times a day on a phone (ecological momentary assessment) to capture sleep, mood, impulsivity, and suicidal thoughts as they change day-to-day. Researchers will combine the wearable data and the daily reports to see which sleep problems predict increases in suicidal thinking or risky behavior. About 140 Veterans will take part so the team can look at patterns across many people at high risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify specific sleep problems that signal higher suicide risk and point to new ways to prevent suicide after hospital discharge.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked poor sleep with higher suicide risk, but combining continuous wearable sleep monitoring with frequent daily surveys in high-risk Veterans over six months is a relatively new, more detailed approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Providence VA Medical Center
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcgeary, John E — Providence VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Mcgeary, John E
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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.