Combined peer support, personalized Hope Box, and postcard follow-up for suicidal inpatients

Peer-Aid and Hope Box: A Feasibility Study of a Combined Intervention for Suicidal Patients Hospitalized in a Psychiatric Crisis Unit

Not applicable Interventional Hôpital le Vinatier · NCT07119671

This project will try a combined program of a peer helper meeting, a personalized Hope Box, and a reminder postcard to help people hospitalized after a recent suicide attempt.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment42 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorHôpital le Vinatier Academic / other
Locations1 site (Bron, AURA)
Trial IDNCT07119671 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

HOPAIR is a mixed-methods feasibility project that enrolls patients 24–48 hours after admission to a psychiatric crisis unit and delivers a one-on-one meeting with a trained peer helper who helps the patient create a personalized Hope Box. The Hope Box contains objects, photos and reminders intended to strengthen reasons for living and provide sensory comfort, and a postcard is sent one month later to reinforce the intervention. The study is bi-centric and collects quantitative measures at three months on hopelessness, self-efficacy, reasons for living, perceived social support, suicidal thoughts and repeat attempts, alongside qualitative feedback on acceptability and implementation. The primary aim is to determine whether this combined intervention can be delivered and accepted in the inpatient crisis setting.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are French-speaking adults hospitalized in a psychiatric crisis unit within 24–48 hours of admission who have made a suicide attempt in the month before hospitalization and can give informed consent and receive mail.

Not a fit: Patients with agitation, acute delirium, major cognitive disorder or other relational states incompatible with the intervention, those enrolled in another suicide-prevention protocol, or those without sufficient French language or postal access are unlikely to benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, HOPAIR could improve hope, coping and social connection and reduce acute suicidal thoughts or repeat attempts during a high-risk period after hospitalization.

How similar studies have performed: Brief contact interventions and peer-support approaches have shown promise in suicide prevention, but the specific combination of peer support, a Hope Box and a follow-up postcard is relatively novel and not widely tested.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Major ;
* Hospitalized in a psychiatric crisis unit;
* Having attempted suicide in the month preceding hospitalisation;
* Able to give free and informed consent;
* Having given consent;
* French-speaking person with at least B1 level (reading and writing);
* With access to the technical resources required for the study;
* With a postal address.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presenting a relational modality incompatible with the proposed intervention (agitation, acute delirium, major cognitive disorders or psychic disorganisation, etc.);
* Included in another research protocol related to suicide prevention.

Where this trial is running

Bron, AURA

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Suicide PreventionSuicide preventionHope boxPair aid
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 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.