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OBJECTIVE: Given the critical need for efficient and tailored suicide screening for youth presenting in the emergency department (ED), this study establishes validated screening score thresholds for the Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY) and presents an example of a suicide risk classification pathway. METHODS: Participants were primarily from the Study One derivation cohort of the Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) enrolled in collaboration with Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Networks (PECARN). CASSY scores corresponded to the predicted probabilities of a suicide attempt in the next 3 months and risk thresholds were classified as minimal (10%). CASSY scores were compared to risk thresholds derived from clinical consensus and ED complaints and dispositions. CASSY risk thresholds were also examined as predictors of future suicide attempts in the Study Two validation cohort of ED-STARS. RESULTS: A total of 1452 teens were enrolled with a median age of 15.2 years, 59.5% were female, 55.6% were White, 22% were Black, 22.3% were Latinx, and 42.8% received public assistance. The clinical consensus suicide risk groups were strongly associated with the CASSY-predicted risk thresholds. Suicide attempts in the Study Two cohort occurred at a frequency consistent with the CASSY-predicted thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: The CASSY can be a valuable tool in providing patient-specific risk probabilities for a suicide attempt at 3 months and tailor the threshold cutoffs based on the availability of local mental health resources. We give an example of a clinical risk pathway, which should include segmentation of the ED population by medical versus psychiatric chief complaint.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. As nearly 20% of adolescents visit emergency departments (EDs) each year, EDs have an opportunity to identify previously unrecognized suicide risk. A novel Computerized Adaptive Screen for Suicidal Youth (CASSY) was shown in a multisite study to be predictive for suicide attempts within 3 months. This study uses site-specific data to estimate the cost of CASSY implementation with adolescents in general EDs. When used universally with all adolescents who are present and able to participate in the screening, the average cost was USD 5.77 per adolescent. For adolescents presenting with non-behavioral complaints, the average cost was USD 2.60 per adolescent. Costs were driven primarily by time and personnel required for the further evaluation of suicide risk for those screening positive. Thus, universal screening using the CASSY, at very low costs relative to the cost of an ED visit, can facilitate services needed for at-risk adolescents.

Objective: College counseling centers (CCCs) have limited capacity to accommodate high-risk students who need more intensive care than traditional outpatient treatment. We describe an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) to meet the specialized needs of suicidal undergraduates. Participants: Suicidal undergraduates aged 18--24. Methods: Fact-gathering meetings with local universities confirmed high need for prompt access to IOP care for students presenting in crisis at CCCs and emergency rooms, and post-inpatient discharge. We thus iteratively designed and implemented the College Option Services for Teens at Risk (COSTAR) IOP. Results: The 6-week program includes initial diagnostic evaluation and risk assessment followed by weekly skills groups, individual therapy, and medication management. Between September 2017 and January 2020, 148 students (M age = 19.7) attended an average of 5.7 COSTAR group sessions (SD = 4.7). Conclusions: A specialty IOP for suicidal college students holds promise in a stepped care approach for at-risk college students.

BackgroundDifferences in risk and protective factors (e.g., victimization, abuse, social support) have been used to explain elevated rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in sexual minority youth (SMY) relative to heterosexual peers. However, little is known regarding how risk and protective factors may explain suicide risk differences among subgroups of SMY. The aims of this study were to 1) examine differences in prevalence and severity for suicide risk and protective factors among SMY, and 2) explore whether risk and protective factors are differentially associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts for SMY subgroups.MethodsParticipants were 6,423 adolescents (ages 12-17) recruited from 14 Emergency Departments across the United States who completed an assessment of suicide risk and protective factors. SMY were 20% of the sample (n = 1,275) and categorized as bisexual (8%), gay/lesbian (2%), mostly straight (5%), or other sexual minority (5%).ResultsBisexual youth had elevated rates of suicidal ideation and attempts, more risk factors (e.g., bullying victimization, depression), and fewer protective factors (e.g., parent-family connectedness, positive affect) relative to mostly straight and other sexual minority youth. Bisexual and gay/lesbian youth only differed in parent-family connectedness (lower among bisexual youth). Depression and parent-family connectedness had weaker associations with suicidal ideation for bisexual youth.LimitationsEmergency departments were not nationally representative. Study design was cross-sectional, preventing causal inferences.ConclusionsInterventions seeking to mitigate risk factors and promote protective factors are greatly needed for SMY and may benefit from tailoring to address unique stressors for sexual minority subgroups.

ObjectiveAdolescents at risk for suicide are highly heterogeneous in terms of psychiatric and social risk factors, yet there has been little systematic research on risk profiles, which would facilitate recognition and the matching of patients to services. Our primary study aims were to identify latent class profiles of adolescents with elevated suicide risk, and to examine the association of these profiles with mental health service use (MHSU).MethodParticipants were 1,609 adolescents from the Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) cohort. Participants completed baseline surveys assessing demographics, MHSU, and suicide risk. Telephone follow-up interviews were conducted at 3 months to assess suicide attempts. Participants met pre-established baseline criteria for suicide risk.ResultsUsing latent class analysis, we derived 5 profiles of elevated suicide risk with differing patterns of eight risk factors: history of multiple suicide attempts, past-month suicidal ideation, depression, alcohol and drug misuse, impulsive-aggression, and sexual and physical abuse. In comparison to adolescents who did not meet baseline criteria for suicide risk, each profile was associated with increased risk of a suicide attempt within 3 months. The MHSU was lowest for adolescents fitting profiles with previous (but no recent) suicidal thoughts and behavior, and for adolescents from racial and ethnic minority groups.ConclusionAdolescents at elevated risk for suicide present to emergency departments with differing profiles of suicide risk. MHSU varies across these profiles and by race/ethnicity, indicating that targeted risk recognition and treatment linkage efforts may be necessary to reach some adolescents at risk.

The purpose of this study was to include youth, parents, researchers, and clinicians in the identification of feasible and acceptable strategies for teen suicide screening in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Concept mapping methodology was used to elicit stakeholder responses. Regarding the most important result of suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, suicide prevention and education for parents, friends, and community members was rated easiest to implement, while short- and long-term follow-up and treatment was rated most important. In terms of successful suicide screening for teens in the pediatric ED, provision of resources and information was rated most feasible, and a safe, friendly, private screening environment was rated most important. The concept maps can be used to align suicide risk screening with the priorities and recommendations of pediatric ED stakeholders.

BackgroundThe incidence of adolescent suicide is rising in the United States, yet we have limited information regarding short-term prediction of suicide attempts. Our aim was to identify predictors of suicide attempts within 3-months of an emergency department (ED) visit.MethodsAdolescents, ages 12-17, seeking health care at 13 pediatric EDs (Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network) and one Indian Health Service Hospital in the United States were consecutively recruited. Among 10,664 approached patients, 6,448 (60%) were enrolled and completed a suicide risk survey. A subset of participants (n = 2,897) was assigned to a 3-month telephone follow-up, and 2,104 participants completed this follow-up (73% retention). Our primary outcome was a suicide attempt between the ED visit and 3-month follow-up.ResultsOne hundred four adolescents (4.9%) made a suicide attempt between enrollment and 3-month follow-up. A large number of baseline predictors of suicide attempt were identified in bivariate analyses. The final multivariable model for the full sample included the presence of suicidal ideation during the past week, lifetime severity of suicidal ideation, lifetime history of suicidal behavior, and school connectedness. For the subgroup of adolescents who did not report recent suicidal ideation at baseline, the final model included only lifetime severity of suicidal ideation and social connectedness. Among males, the final model included only lifetime severity of suicidal ideation and past week suicidal ideation. For females, the final model included past week suicidal ideation, lifetime severity of suicidal ideation, number of past-year nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) incidents, and social connectedness.ConclusionsResults indicate that the key risk factors for adolescent suicide attempts differ for subgroups of adolescents defined by sex and whether or not they report recent suicidal thoughts. Results also point to the importance of school and social connectedness as protective factors against suicide attempts.

ObjectiveTo compare the longitudinal course of family functioning in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD), offspring of parents with non-BD psychopathology, and offspring of healthy control (HC) parents.MethodOffspring of parents with BD (256 parents and 481 offspring), parents without BD (82 parents and 162 offspring), and HC parents (88 parents and 175 offspring) 7 to 18 years of age at intake, from the Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS), were followed for an average of 4.3 years. Family functioning was evaluated using the child- and parent-reported Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale-II and the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using multivariate multilevel regression, generalized linear estimating equation models, and path analysis.ResultsFamilies of parents with BD and parents with non-BD psychopathology showed lower cohesion and adaptability and higher conflict compared with HC families. There were no significant differences in cohesion and adaptability between families of parents with psychopathology. The effect of parental psychopathology on family functioning was mediated by parental psychosocial functioning and, to a lesser extent, offspring disorders. In all 3 groups, parent-reported family conflict was significantly higher than child-reported conflict. Across groups, family cohesion decreased over follow-up, whereas conflict increased.ConclusionAny parental psychopathology predicted family impairment. These results were influenced by the offspring's age and were mediated by parental psychosocial functioning and, to a lesser degree, by offspring psychopathology. These findings emphasize the need to routinely assess family functioning in addition to psychopathology and provide appropriate interventions to parents and offspring.

Background: Previous studies demonstrate a link between irritability and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in youth samples. However, they have mostly assessed irritability in community samples and as a largely dispositional (i.e. trait‐like) construct. Thus, it remains unclear to what extent links between irritability and STBs reflect within‐person processes of elevated risk in clinically meaningful time periods. Methods: The present study used clinical data from 689 adolescents aged 12–19 years attending a total of 6,128 visits at a specialty Intensive Outpatient Program for depressed and suicidal youth to examine patterns in weekly assessments of irritability and STBs throughout treatment, including associations among trends and fluctuations departing from these trends via multilevel structural equation modeling. Youth completed self‐report measures of irritability, depression, and STBs weekly as part of standard IOP clinical care. Results: Overall, two‐thirds of variance in weekly irritable mood was accounted for by between‐person differences and the remaining portion by weekly fluctuations. After controlling for depression, during weeks when youth were more irritable they experienced increased STBs. Rates of change in irritability and STBs tended to track together at early stages of treatment, but these effects were generally accounted for by depression severity. Conclusions: Our results suggest that although changes in STBs are best accounted for by depression, irritability can be understood as a specific, proximal risk factor for youth STBs that exacerbates youth STBs in clinically informative timeframes above and beyond depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite evidence of the importance of interpersonal connectedness to our understanding of suicide risk, relatively little research has examined the protective and buffering effects of connectedness among adolescents. The aims of this study were to determine: (a) whether overall connectedness (composite of family, peer, and school) and specific domains of connectedness were related to a lower likelihood of suicide attempts, and (b) whether these factors buffer the prospective risk of suicide attempt for high‐risk subgroups (i.e., recent suicidal ideation and/or lifetime history of suicide attempt, peer victimization, or sexual and gender minority status). Methods: Participants were 2,897 adolescents (64.7% biological female), ages 12 to 17 (M = 14.6, SD = 1.6), recruited in collaboration with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) from 14 emergency departments for the Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide Study (ED‐STARS). Suicide risk and protective factors were assessed at baseline; 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐ups were completed (79.5% retention). Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted, adjusting for established suicide risk factors. Results: Higher overall connectedness and, specifically, school connectedness were associated with decreased likelihood of a suicide attempt across 6 months. Overall connectedness and connectedness domains did not function as buffers for future suicide attempts among certain high‐risk subgroups. The protective effect of overall connectedness was lower for youth with recent suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt history than for those without this history. Similarly, overall connectedness was protective for youth without peer victimization but not those with this history. Regarding specific domains, family connectedness was protective for youth without recent suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt history and peer connectedness was protective for youth without peer victimization but not youth with these histories. Conclusions: In this large and geographically diverse sample, overall and school connectedness were related prospectively to lower likelihood of suicide attempts, and connectedness was more protective for youth not in certain high‐risk subgroups. Results inform preventive efforts aimed at improving youth connectedness and reducing suicide risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]