# Increasing Help-Seeking Behavior Among Transitioning Veterans At Risk For Suicide With Online Gatekeeper Training: A Pilot Study Of PsychArmor S.A.V.E.

> **NIH VA I21** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Background: Suicide is an urgent public health crisis, and transitioning Veterans (those who have recently
separated from the military) are a high-risk group for suicide. A key component to advancing suicide prevention
efforts among at-risk Veterans is to address low levels of help-seeking and engagement in treatment, including
Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. Veterans are most likely to disclose suicidal thoughts to their close
supports—family members, friends, and their peers. However, Veterans and their close supports rarely receive
training in how to help a peer at risk of suicide, despite strong interest in such training. Gatekeeper training is a
key strategy with potential to help address these challenges. Gatekeeper training teaches “gatekeepers” skills
in how to identify a Veteran with suicide risk, inquire about suicidal thoughts, and help make a connection to
professional treatment; it may benefit the trainee’s own mental health too. PsychArmor S.A.V.E. is a brief,
novel online gatekeeper training that was created in partnership with VA and is designed for Veterans and their
close supports.
Significance/Impact: This project focuses on VA’s topic clinical priority, suicide prevention. The 2019 VA and
Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines also identified gatekeeper training as an important
research gap and priority for future research. Finally, our research design addresses three separate goals and
objectives contained in VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, including involvement of
Veterans’ close supports.
Innovation: This proposal employs the novel approach of recruiting Veterans and their close supports through
online social media advertisements, allowing for broad outreach, suicide prevention targeting Veterans outside
the VA network, and the potential to test the effectiveness of gatekeeper training on a large scale. Online
gatekeeper trainings are highly scalable public health strategies with the potential to diffuse through online
social networks.
Specific Aims: Our primary objective is to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the
feasibility and acceptability of the online gatekeeper training PsychArmor S.A.V.E. To reach this objective we
will achieve these aims: 1) Determine the feasibility of recruiting participants via social media, engaging them
to participate in an online gatekeeper training program, and retaining them in an online intervention study; and
2) Determine the acceptability of PsychArmor S.A.V.E. in a pilot RCT, and evaluate measures for use in a
future larger-scale RCT.
Methodology: This is a two-arm pilot randomized clinical trial involving 200 participants. We will recruit
participants through social media advertisements targeting transitioning Veterans and their close supports
(family and friends). Participants will be randomized to take the PsychArmor S.A.V.E. gatekeeper training or a
“sham” control training and followed for 6 months. Mixed qua...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10070536
- **Project number:** 1I21HX003259-01
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan Teo
- **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070536

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070536, Increasing Help-Seeking Behavior Among Transitioning Veterans At Risk For Suicide With Online Gatekeeper Training: A Pilot Study Of PsychArmor S.A.V.E. (1I21HX003259-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070536. Licensed CC0.

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