# Piloting a culturally adapted multilevel suicide prevention intervention in schools for Black youth and their families

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2022 · $328,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The goal of this proposed study is to pilot test and evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of a school-based
suicide prevention intervention tailored specifically for Black youth and those connected to Black youth (e.g.,
families and school personnel). Suicide was recognized in 2018 as the 2nd leading cause of death for 10 to 14-
year-old Black adolescents in the U.S., yet there are few evidence-based suicide prevention interventions
designed to account for the cultural factors that influence Black youth's risks for suicidality. Further – although
universal school-based suicide prevention programs have great potential to alleviate disparities in access to
mental health resources – most school-based suicide prevention interventions are administered to high school
students. Some researchers have begun to implement prevention interventions among middle school-aged
youth, but we know little about the effect universal school-based suicide prevention interventions could have
for Black students residing in underserved communities. To redress this gap, we propose modifying an existing
intervention with culturally adapted content by conducting a pilot RCT to assess preliminary effectiveness,
tolerability, and feasibility. The Signs of Suicide (SOS) program is a school-based intervention that has
demonstrated reductions in suicide attempts among middle and high school students by identifying knowledge
and attitudes towards depression and suicide as key mechanisms that mediate the relation between
intervention participation and a significant reduction in suicide attempts. Thus, it is important to consider how
prioritizing these two mechanisms – knowledge and attitudes towards depression and suicide – may differ for
Black youth whose perceptions of knowledge and attitudes of suicide may be culturally bound and influenced
by stigmatized beliefs regarding help-seeing for mental health concerns. Parents views about stigma and
school personnel's familiarity with suicide prevention resources may also influence Black youth's knowledge
and attitudes, thus affirming the necessity of a multilevel suicide prevention intervention. We therefore propose
a cultural adaptation of the SOS program that aims to: 1) Tailor the SOS intervention videos to include
culturally adapted strategies for navigating stigma of receiving mental health treatment; (2) Develop culturally
adapted curricula that trains parents and school personnel to (a) recognize suicide risk factors for Black youth;
and (b) refer students to local mental health treatment services; and (3) Conduct a pilot randomized controlled
trial (n=300) to assess feasibility, tolerability, and acceptability of reducing suicidality among Black youth
across three intervention conditions (standard SOS condition; culturally adapted SOS condition; culturally
adapted SOS + parent and school personnel training condition). Pre-test scores will be compared at post-test,
3-month, and 1-year follow up. Resul...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440929
- **Project number:** 1R34MH129789-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Janelle Renee Goodwill
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $328,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440929

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440929, Piloting a culturally adapted multilevel suicide prevention intervention in schools for Black youth and their families (1R34MH129789-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440929. Licensed CC0.

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