Distress, EmotionalNCT06114875
Brief Interventions on Social Media to Reduce Suicide Risk (Intervention 1)
A study testing Peer support intervention in people with Distress, Emotional and Suicide, run by Harvard University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This clinical trial is part of a series of brief interventions to reduce suicide risk in collaboration with the social media platform RallyPoint, a site specifically designed for U.S. servicemembers and veterans to connect with one another. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Distress, Emotional, Suicide
- What is being tested?
- Peer support intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 942 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Nov 2023to 14 Mar 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Individuals who are active users on the social media site RallyPoint.
Who cannot join
- Individuals who are not active users on the social media site RallyPoint.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
RallyPoint Networks, Inc
Boston, Massachusetts, 02109
About this study
Official title: Analysis of a Peer-to-Peer Support Social Media Platform for Service Members and Veterans of the U.S. Military: Intervention 1 (Peer Support)
This clinical trial is part of a series of brief interventions to reduce suicide risk in collaboration with the social media platform RallyPoint, a site specifically designed for U.S. servicemembers and veterans to connect with one another. In this RCT (Intervention 1: Peer Support), the investigators will test a psychoeducational intervention aimed at increasing peer responses to RallyPoint posts that a machine learning risk algorithm developed by the current team has identified for signs of distress (e.g., descriptions of suicidal thoughts and behaviors or other mental health concerns). In this intervention, the investigators will flag these distressed posts and prompt peers to reply to the posts by providing informational blurbs detailing helpful peer responses.
Read the detailed description
Both active duty and veterans of the United States military are at elevated risk for the development of psychological disorders such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance use disorders, and suicide. Despite the clear need for psychological interventions for this population, only a small proportion of veterans utilize the Veteran's Affairs Health Care System for psychiatric care. Further, most people who are at-risk for suicide do not present for mental health treatment prior to their deaths. There are several reasons why military personnel may not seek out treatment, including stigma of mental health care, or structural barriers such as availability of treatment. Prior research from the current team comparing Army soldiers who died by suicide to matched control soldiers found that suicide decedents were more likely to perceive concerns that receiving mental health care would hurt their careers, reduce others' confidence in them, or lead others to see them as weak.
To increase the likelihood that veterans and servicemembers receive the help they need, one option is to harness technology to assess and treat mental health concerns outside of traditional healthcare settings. Social media platforms may be a particularly promising avenue for identifying and providing outreach to at-risk individuals, given research suggesting that peer support may be preferable to professional mental health treatment. In fact, a recent survey of military servicemembers conducted by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, servicemembers indicated that when they are feeling stressed, they prefer to speak with peers or spouses/partners (48-54%) rather than medical or mental health professionals (4-7%). Social media platforms may offer a scalable way of identifying and helping at-risk individuals.
In the current project, the investigators have partnered with the military-specific social media site RallyPoint (www.rallypoint.com) in order to determine how to best support at-risk veterans and servicemembers. The investigators will be testing three brief interventions aimed at connecting RallyPoint users to peer and professional resources:
Intervention 1: Peer support (current intervention): This intervention will aim to improve RallyPoint users' ability to support their peers.
Intervention 2: Stigma-reduction intervention: This intervention will focus on reducing barriers that are inhibiting members in distress from reaching out to their peers.
Intervention 3: Professional Outreach: This last intervention will aim to reduce barriers that are inhibiting members in distress from seeking professional mental health support.
- Conditions
- Distress, Emotional, Suicide
- Being tested
- Peer support intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Peer support interventionBehavioural
Flags will appear beside posts that the risk algorithm has identified as containing descriptions of distress or mental health concerns (these flags will not be visible to the original poster). Next to these flags, users will also see a brief blurb such as: "This person might be going through something difficult. To learn more about what to say to peers who may be experiencing distress, click this banner." RallyPoint users will then have the option of clicking on these flags, where they will be directed to a psychoeducational information page on how to provide support to peers who may be experiencing distress.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | Half of RallyPoint's active users will comprise the control group. The control group will not be shown the intervention flags and will see posts displayed as usual. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Participants will not be actively recruited for this intervention. Rather, about half of active RallyPoint users (approximately 40,000 users; 80,000 users total) will be randomized to see the Intervention #1 psychoeducational pop-ups. The investigators will work with RallyPoint collaborators who will only display the distress flags to participants in the intervention group. RallyPoint users will not see flags appear on their own concerning posts, if they make any. The intervention will last up to six months (i.e., flags will be visible on concerning posts made over a six month period). Receives: Behavioral: Peer support intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of replies to peers' posts
The number of replies participants make to peers' social media posts.
Measured: 24 hrs post intervention
Content in replies to peers' posts
Whether or not replies contain content related to the intervention (e.g., providing information on mental health resources); the frequency of supportive language found in participants replies to peers' posts.
Measured: 24 hrs post intervention
Engagement with intervention
How often participants in the intervention arm click on the flags.
Measured: 24 hrs post intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Nov 2023
- Study start20 Nov 2023
- Primary completion14 Mar 2025
- Study completion14 Mar 2025
Why it stopped: Slow recruitment and enrollment. Unable to reach target N.
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Distress, EmotionalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 942 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Matthew Nock, Harvard University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06114875
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB19-1260
- Status last verified
- Aug 2025
- First submitted
- 30 Oct 2023
- Last updated
- 13 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Analysis of a Peer-to-Peer Support Social Media Platform for Service Members and Veterans of the U.S. Military: Intervention 1 (Peer Support)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06114875
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB19-1260
- Conditions
- Distress, Emotional, Suicide
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- TerminatedReason stopped: Slow recruitment and enrollment. Unable to reach target N.
- Enrolment
- 942 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Nov 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 14 Mar 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Nov 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This clinical trial is part of a series of brief interventions to reduce suicide risk in collaboration with the social media platform RallyPoint, a site specifically designed for U.S. servicemembers and veterans to connect with one another. In this RCT (Intervention 1: Peer Support), the investigators will test a psychoeducational intervention aimed at increasing peer responses to RallyPoint posts that a machine learning risk algorithm developed by the current team has identified for signs of distress (e.g., descriptions of suicidal thoughts and behaviors or other mental health concerns). In this intervention, the investigators will flag these distressed posts and prompt peers to reply to the posts by providing informational blurbs detailing helpful peer responses.
Detailed description
Both active duty and veterans of the United States military are at elevated risk for the development of psychological disorders such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol and substance use disorders, and suicide. Despite the clear need for psychological interventions for this population, only a small proportion of veterans utilize the Veteran's Affairs Health Care System for psychiatric care. Further, most people who are at-risk for suicide do not present for mental health treatment prior to their deaths. There are several reasons why military personnel may not seek out treatment, including stigma of mental health care, or structural barriers such as availability of treatment. Prior research from the current team comparing Army soldiers who died by suicide to matched control soldiers found that suicide decedents were more likely to perceive concerns that receiving mental health care would hurt their careers, reduce others' confidence in them, or lead others to see them as weak.
To increase the likelihood that veterans and servicemembers receive the help they need, one option is to harness technology to assess and treat mental health concerns outside of traditional healthcare settings. Social media platforms may be a particularly promising avenue for identifying and providing outreach to at-risk individuals, given research suggesting that peer support may be preferable to professional mental health treatment. In fact, a recent survey of military servicemembers conducted by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, servicemembers indicated that when they are feeling stressed, they prefer to speak with peers or spouses/partners (48-54%) rather than medical or mental health professionals (4-7%). Social media platforms may offer a scalable way of identifying and helping at-risk individuals.
In the current project, the investigators have partnered with the military-specific social media site RallyPoint (www.rallypoint.com) in order to determine how to best support at-risk veterans and servicemembers. The investigators will be testing three brief interventions aimed at connecting RallyPoint users to peer and professional resources:
Intervention 1: Peer support (current intervention): This intervention will aim to improve RallyPoint users' ability to support their peers.
Intervention 2: Stigma-reduction intervention: This intervention will focus on reducing barriers that are inhibiting members in distress from reaching out to their peers.
Intervention 3: Professional Outreach: This last intervention will aim to reduce barriers that are inhibiting members in distress from seeking professional mental health support.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –Half of RallyPoint's active users will comprise the control group. The control group will not be shown the intervention flags and will see posts displayed as usual. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Peer support interventionParticipants will not be actively recruited for this intervention. Rather, about half of active RallyPoint users (approximately 40,000 users; 80,000 users total) will be randomized to see the Intervention #1 psychoeducational pop-ups. The investigators will work with RallyPoint collaborators who will only display the distress flags to participants in the intervention group. RallyPoint users will not see flags appear on their own concerning posts, if they make any. The intervention will last up to six months (i.e., flags will be visible on concerning posts made over a six month period). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Individuals who are active users on the social media site RallyPoint.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Individuals who are not active users on the social media site RallyPoint.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Peer support interventionFlags will appear beside posts that the risk algorithm has identified as containing descriptions of distress or mental health concerns (these flags will not be visible to the original poster). Next to these flags, users will also see a brief blurb such as: "This person might be going through something difficult. To learn more about what to say to peers who may be experiencing distress, click this banner." RallyPoint users will then have the option of clicking on these flags, where they will be directed to a psychoeducational information page on how to provide support to peers who may be experiencing distress. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Number of replies to peers' posts
Time frame: 24 hrs post intervention
The number of replies participants make to peers' social media posts.
Content in replies to peers' posts
Time frame: 24 hrs post intervention
Whether or not replies contain content related to the intervention (e.g., providing information on mental health resources); the frequency of supportive language found in participants replies to peers' posts.
Engagement with intervention
Time frame: 24 hrs post intervention
How often participants in the intervention arm click on the flags.
Results and safety
The study was stopped early (reason given: Slow recruitment and enrollment. Unable to reach target N.). Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Aug 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Peer support intervention in people with Distress, Emotional and Suicide, run by Harvard University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study was stopped early (reason given: Slow recruitment and enrollment. Unable to reach target N.). Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Number of replies to peers' posts (time frame: 24 hrs post intervention). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Aug 2025.