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SuicideSPRINGNCT06128239

Comparing Suicide Prevention Interventions to Guide Follow-up Care: The SPRING Trial

A study testing Caring Contacts in people with Suicide and Suicide Prevention, run by St. Luke's Health System, Boise, Idaho at 1 site in United States.

Active, not recruiting

Under way, not looking for participants. Everyone needed has enrolled. The study is still running.

Official record
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Trial summary

Pragmatic randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of two-way Caring Contacts text messages vs. one-way Caring Contacts text messages vs. enhanced usual care for suicide prevention in adults and adolescents. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 12 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Suicide, Suicide Prevention, Suicide and Self-harm
What is being tested?
Caring Contacts
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
854 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
29 Dec 2023to 31 Mar 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 12 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adolescents (12-17 years old) and adults (18+)
  • Response of "yes" to at least one item on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) six-item screener at a St. Luke's Health System (SLHS) primary care or behavioral health clinic, or electronic health record or provider note from an eligible encounter indicates suicide risk
  • Ability to send and receive text messages
  • Ability to receive phone calls
  • Ability to receive emails
  • Participant and legal guardian (if applicable) speak, read, and understand English
  • Accommodations may be made for individuals with impaired hearing

Who cannot join

  • Individuals who participated in a previous randomized controlled trial in the same health system related to Caring Contacts (SPARC Trial or MHAPPS Trial)
  • Patients who are unable or unwilling to provide informed consent*, for example, due to acute or chronic cognitive impairment (i.e.: acute psychosis, intoxication, or intellectual disability).
  • Primary Care Provider, Behavioral Health Provider, or Principal Investigator determines that participation in the research is not in the best interest of the patient or the study team.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • St. Luke's Health System

    Boise, Idaho, 83712

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Comparing the Effectiveness of Two-Way Caring Contacts Texts vs One-Way Caring Contacts Texts vs Enhanced Usual Care to Reduce Suicidal Behavior in Youth and Adults Screening At-Risk for Suicide in Primary Care or Behavioral Health Clinics

Pragmatic randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of two-way Caring Contacts text messages vs. one-way Caring Contacts text messages vs. enhanced usual care for suicide prevention in adults and adolescents.

Being tested
Caring Contacts
Keywords
Caring Contacts, brief contact intervention, adult, adolescent, primary care, behavioral health, follow-up care
Medical subject headings
Suicide, Suicide Prevention, Self-Injurious Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Caring ContactsBehavioural

    Also called Caring Texts, Caring Letters

    Text message version of Motto's Caring Contacts intervention. The study will compare two versions of text-based Caring Contacts: two-way messages, to which participants can respond to receive text-based support from follow-up specialists, and one-way text messages, to which participants cannot respond.

Study groups in NCT06128239
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Two-Way Caring Contacts Texts (CC2)ExperimentalIn addition to receiving enhanced usual care as described below, a series of 25 standardized outgoing Caring Contacts text messages will be sent to participants randomized to the CC2 intervention arm through our online texting platform. To remind participants that they can respond, the outgoing texts will periodically invite replies in a non-demanding way, e.g., "Hope you're doing well this week, Anna. Feel free to text me back if you feel like it, I'm here for you." Responses to CC2 participant replies will be unscripted and individually tailored.
Receives: Behavioral: Caring Contacts
One-Way Caring Contacts Texts (CC1)ExperimentalIn addition to receiving enhanced usual care as described below, CC1 participants will be sent 25 caring texts, such as "Even though know we do not personally know each other, we truly value your wellbeing and are thinking of you. If you'd like to connect with someone, feel free to call or text 988 anytime - their team would be happy to hear from you." CC1 participants will not be able to reply to the texts and the online texting platform will block incoming messages. This will be clearly communicated to CC1 participants during the informed consent process and they will be asked to sign off on understanding this and other key points before enrolling in the study.
Receives: Behavioral: Caring Contacts
Enhanced Usual Care (UC)No interventionParticipants randomized to the UC arm will receive best available usual care from the health system, such as standardized clinical assessments, the safety planning intervention or other intervention(s), appropriate referrals and/or medication management through a system wide electronic health record system-assisted suicide care clinical workflow. Usual care will vary based on patient clinical needs, availability of providers/staff, and provider clinical judgment. Following study enrollment, all participants will be given a list of resources, offered a warm hand-off to 988, and encouragement to call or text 988 as needed. During the baseline survey, participants will have the opportunity to opt into a call from the follow-up team to develop or revise a safety plan.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Suicidal behavior

    Measured using the Harkavy-Asnis Suicide Scale (HASS) Active Suicidal Behavior Sub-Scale. The HASS has been validated for self-report, with strong psychometric properties in adolescents and adults. This measure asks about the frequency of suicide attempt planning, and actual and aborted/interrupted suicide attempts. Participants respond using the Likert scale response options used by Asarnow et al.'s validation study, modified to fit the survey time period (past six months at baseline/12-month outcome surveys, and past 3 months for 3- and 6-month outcome surveys). Each HASS sub-scale is scored separately by summing the response values. Scores on the Active Suicidal Behavior Sub-Scale range from 0 - 20, with higher scores corresponding to higher suicide risk. The primary outcome will be the cumulative risk of suicidal behavior assessed using area under the curve of the HASS scores over the 12-month study period.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

Secondary outcomes (4)

  1. Suicide attempts

    Suicide attempts will be measured using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), which is valid for adolescents and adults.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

  2. Suicide ideation

    Suicidal ideation will be measured using the Passive Suicidal Ideation Subscale of the Harkavy-Asnis Suicide Scale (HASS), which includes 12 items. Scores on the Passive Suicidal Ideation Sub-Scale range from 0 - 48, with higher scores corresponding to higher suicide risk.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

  3. Suicide-related Emergency Department (ED) utilization and hospitalization

    Suicide-related ED utilization and hospitalization will be assessed by self-report and using electronic medical records. Reason for visit/diagnoses may be reviewed in electronic medical records for any inpatient or outpatient encounters that occur during the study period.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

  4. Outpatient mental health treatment

    Outpatient mental health treatment will be self-reported and assessed using electronic medical records. Reason for visit/diagnoses may be reviewed in electronic medical records for any inpatient or outpatient encounters that occur during the study period.

    Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Nov 2023
  2. Study start29 Dec 2023
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Mar 2026 (estimated)

Resources

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
Model description
Participants randomized 1:1:1 to three treatment conditions
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
854 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06128239
Sponsor's protocol ID
2023-0088
Other IDs
TBT-0-022-22
Acronym
SPRING
Status last verified
Jul 2025
First submitted
7 Nov 2023
Last updated
9 Jul 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: All data will be uploaded to the National Institutes for Mental Health Data Archive (NDA).

Publications

  • Radin AK, Brown SP, Shaw J, Fouts T, McCue E, Skeie A, Pierce H, Flint H, Biss M, Sandoval D, Chase K, Davis J, Austin G, Chan KCG, Fruhbauerova M, Ratzliff A, Walton M, Bronner J, McCutchan PK, Comtois KA. Comparative effectiveness of two-way caring contacts texts vs one-way caring contacts texts vs enhanced usual care to reduce suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults: Protocol for the SPRING pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Apr;151:107839. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107839. Epub 2025 Feb 10.

    PubMed 39938610

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Caring Contacts in people with Suicide and Suicide Prevention, run by St. Luke's Health System, Boise, Idaho 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 7 inclusion and 3 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: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jul 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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?

Suicidal behavior (time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06128239, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 9 Jul 2025.

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