# A Digital Psychoeducational Social Network Intervention for Suicidal Adolescents

> **NIH NIH R43** · OUI THERAPEUTICS, INC · 2022 · $453,596

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the US. Adolescents hospitalized for SI or
SA are at risk for future SAs and early mortality; rates of death by suicide may be as high as 10% by 15 years
post discharge. Despite these known risks, many suicidal adolescents do not obtain treatment after hospital
discharge because there are not enough providers trained to deliver effective suicide prevention. Thus, there is
an urgent need to develop scalable suicide prevention methods. Youth-Nominated Support Team (YST) is a 3-
month program that pairs adolescents, who are being discharged from a healthcare facility after a suicide
attempt, with adults (known as support adults) whom the patient selects to become their support network. YST
decreases the likelihood of suicide attempts by training the support adults to encourage youth to adhere to
treatment and make positive behavioral choices. While effective, YST is not readily scalable as it requires
significant time commitment from mental health professionals (known as YST intervention specialists) and
necessitates engagement and coordination from multiple personnel. To mitigate these limitations, we propose
to build eYST, which will streamline YST’s operational processes by 1) digitizing components of the
psychoeducational training delivered to youth, parents and support adults and 2) reducing administrative burden
on the YST specialists by automating repetitive tasks. Thus, this study has two primary aims: 1) develop eYST,
a platform to support more efficient implementation of YST; and 2) test the feasibility and acceptability of eYST
in a single-group, open-label trial. An exploratory aim is to examine the range and variability of outcomes
associated with YST, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors, healthcare service utilization, and perception of
adult social support in a pre/post design of eYST with adolescent patients being discharged from a psychiatric
hospital. To develop eYST, we will use implementation science frameworks to understand the needs of
stakeholders and system-level. Metrics to be used to measure eYST’s acceptability and feasibility include the
sum average score of the System Usability Score scale, percentage of nominated adults agreeing to participate,
percentage of youth having 3 or more adults participating in the psychoeducation, etc. Twenty youth, 40
parents/guardians, and 60 supporting adults will be enrolled in the trial. Phase I results will be used to inform
preparation of a future SBIR Phase II grant. Commercialization of eYST will occur through health plans. The
long-term goal is to markedly increase access to a proven intervention and deliver a digital and scalable solution,
eYST, that can be easily integrated with the existing infrastructure of behavioral health programs, ultimately
aiding in reducing the likelihood of suicide among youth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10509596
- **Project number:** 1R43MH128431-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** OUI THERAPEUTICS, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** Patricia Simon
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $453,596
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10509596

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10509596, A Digital Psychoeducational Social Network Intervention for Suicidal Adolescents (1R43MH128431-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10509596. Licensed CC0.

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