Virtual Hope Box with extra support for veterans at high risk of suicide
Virtual Hope Box Enhanced Facilitation in High-Risk Suicidal Veterans
This project will offer recently hospitalized veterans a mobile app plus extra hands-on help to try to lower suicide attempts after leaving the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11129719 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a veteran leaving an inpatient mental health unit, you may be offered the Virtual Hope Box app along with enhanced facilitation to help you use its coping tools and reasons for living. The team will provide active engagement around the time of discharge and during the high-risk follow-up period to increase app use and connection to care. Researchers will track outcomes such as timely outpatient follow-up, app engagement, and suicide attempts over the months after discharge. The work compares the enhanced app approach to usual care to see whether the added support makes a measurable difference for patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are veterans recently discharged from an inpatient mental health unit who are considered at high risk for suicide and who can use a smartphone.
Not a fit: People who are not veterans, who are not recently discharged from inpatient mental health care, or who do not have access to or cannot use a smartphone are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase support during the high-risk post-hospital period and lower the chance of suicide attempts among veterans.
How similar studies have performed: A small randomized trial of the Virtual Hope Box showed improved coping self-efficacy, but no prior study has been large enough to show a reduction in suicide attempts, making this larger effort more definitive.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bagge, Courtney L — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Bagge, Courtney L
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.