# Increasing Social Connection Through Crisis Caring Contacts: A Pragmatic Trial

> **NIH VA I01** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · —

## Abstract

Background: This is a time of unprecedented loneliness and social isolation. Loneliness in particular is
a powerful predictor of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, functional decline, and death. Loneliness can
and should be addressed by health systems. Due to risk for loneliness and negative health outcomes, a
group of particular concern is older adults with medical or psychiatric comorbidity who have limited
treatment engagement. Caring Contacts is an intervention that can address loneliness and poor
treatment engagement. However, it has only been evaluated in a narrow population of psychiatric
patients and not examined amongst patients impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or other disasters.
Significance: This project addresses VA’s top clinical priority (suicide prevention), an overarching
priority of the Office of Research and Development (clinical trials), and multiple Health Service
Research and Development priority areas, including social determinants of health, aging, access to
care, mental health, suicide prevention, and population/whole health. The impact of this project is very
high because it will advance scientific understanding of key gaps related to the mechanisms and
outcomes of Caring Contacts, while also evaluating a timely, pragmatic, low-cost, and scalable
intervention for Veterans affected by lack of social connection and treatment engagement. If effective, it
will have applicability as a response to treatment disengagement and future disasters.
Innovation and Impact: We have taken an empirically-grounded suicide prevention intervention and
adapted it for Veterans with poor treatment engagement in VA outpatient care. This study is innovative
in testing an intervention responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and unique in using
a health services intervention strategy to target loneliness. The intervention’s peer support component
is highly novel for its low resource demands and potential for scalability.
Specific Aims: The overarching objective of this project is to evaluate “Crisis Caring Contacts” (CCC),
an adaptation of Caring Contacts tailored to reduce loneliness in the context of the pandemic. To reach
this objective we will achieve these aims: 1) Among older Veterans with poor treatment engagement,
evaluate the effectiveness of Crisis Caring Contacts in decreasing loneliness, compared to enhanced
usual care; 2) Evaluate the effect of Crisis Caring Contacts on other important outcomes, including
treatment engagement and suicidal ideation; 3) Explore potential moderators of treatment response to
Crisis Caring Contacts; and 4) Explore the effect of Crisis Caring Contacts on all-cause mortality and
suicide attempts.
Methodology: Our approach is to conduct a multisite, pragmatic randomized controlled trial of CCC.
We will target Veterans age 60 and over with active psychiatric or medical diagnoses who have had
limited treatment engagement in VA outpatient care. Those in the CCC treatment arm will be sent 10
pos...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10425515
- **Project number:** 1I01HX003428-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan Teo
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2027-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10425515

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10425515, Increasing Social Connection Through Crisis Caring Contacts: A Pragmatic Trial (1I01HX003428-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10425515. Licensed CC0.

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