Suicide RiskPREVAILNCT07286383
Testing the Use of VA Peer Specialists to Prevent Veteran Suicide
A study testing PREVAIL in people with Suicide Risk, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 3 sites in United States.
Trial summary
This study examines a novel way to prevent suicide among Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). It will assess the efficacy of PREVAIL-VA, a 3-month intervention of 12, one-on-one sessions between a Peer Specialist (PS) and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Suicide Risk
- What is being tested?
- PREVAIL
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 306 participants
- Where
- 3 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2026to 31 Dec 2029
- 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 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- There are two Inclusion criteria:
- Moderate to high suicide risk according to one of the following occurring in the prior 3 months:
- a completed Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation (CSRE) indicating intermediate or high acute or chronic risk
- a high-risk suicide PRF
- a suicide attempt indicated on a Suicide Behavior or Overdose Report (SBOR)
- a suicide safety plan completed in the past 6 months
Show all 10Show fewer
- AND
- Current suicidal ideation according to the 9th item of the Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) > 0 at enrollment
- While a positive 9th item usually precedes the CSRE, because the CSRE could have been administered in the 3 months prior to enrollment, the purpose of requiring a positive 9th item is to ensure more recent suicidal ideation.
- It may be more difficult to show an intervention effect if the investigators enroll participants with no suicidal ideation at baseline.
Who cannot join
- Inability to provide informed consent for any reason, including due to acute psychosis or mania, dementia, or active guardianship or durable power of attorney
- These criteria will be determined according to medical record review and, if clarification needed, consultation with a treating provider.
- The investigators will also screen for decision-making capacity using the Blessed Orientation, Memory, Concentration (BOMC) Test and a brief quiz about the study.
- This quiz will involve an iterative process of querying the participants' understanding of consent information with a 10-item true/false test and providing feedback until an acceptable level of understanding is achieved (must get 100% correct after 3 tries to enroll).
- Current or planned receipt of residential or intensive outpatient treatment
- Plan to transfer or terminate care in the next 3 months
- Homicidal ideation in the past 6 months or violent behavior in the past 12 months
Trial locations and contacts
3 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States3 sites, 2 recruiting
- Active, not recruiting
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303
- Recruiting
Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
Richard Goldberg, PhD, 410-637-1851, richard.goldberg@va.gov
- Recruiting
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15240
Matthew J Chinman, PhD, (412) 360-2438, matthew.chinman@va.gov
Jessica R Dodge, PhD MSW MPH, (734) 845-3609, Jessica.Dodge@va.gov
About this study
This study examines a novel way to prevent suicide among Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). It will assess the efficacy of PREVAIL-VA, a 3-month intervention of 12, one-on-one sessions between a Peer Specialist (PS) and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness, support, and safety. PSs are Veterans with SMI trained to use their own experience and recovery to help other Veterans with SMI. PSs have improved mental health outcomes in other research, but this study would be the first to test their efficacy for suicide prevention in VHA. The project will compare outcomes of Veterans at risk for suicide receiving usual care, to PREVAIL-VA. This work is responsive to national calls for Veterans with SMI to receive support that is evidence-based, improves recovery (not just symptoms), and is tailored to individual needs. If successful, PREVAIL-VA could be adopted by the 1400 Peer Specialists employed in VA, greatly increasing the delivery of evidence-based services to Veterans at risk for suicide.
Read the detailed description
BACKGROUND: Suicide is a top priority for the VA, claiming about 6,000 Veterans each year. VA suicide services primarily focus on immediate response to increased suicide risk but lack a focus on recovery, conceptualized by VHA as an internal process of hope, healing, empowerment, and social reconnection. The lack of a recovery focus in suicide prevention is a gap in VHA care quality. VHA Peer Specialists (PSs)-Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) who are trained to use their experience to help other Veterans with SMI as full-fledged employees (~1,400 VA-wide)-could improve the quality of suicide prevention by making these services more recovery oriented. Based on multiple studies showing that PSs improve a range of outcomes for Veterans with SMI, the VA National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide calls for the development of peer-to-peer services to help those at risk for suicide for their ability to "impart hope and motivation for achieving recovery; provide support for addressing specific stressors, and help foster a sense of meaning and purpose."
SIGNIFICANCE: Administrative data shows that VHA PSs are already working with Veterans at risk for suicide. If PREVAIL-VA is effective, it could greatly increase the delivery of evidence-based services Veterans at risk for suicide receive and enhance the services by VHA Peer Specialists.
INNOVATION: No study has tested a PS-delivered suicide prevention service in the VHA in a rigorous trial.
SPECIFIC AIMS: The proposed study is a Hybrid Type 1 randomized trial with two aims: Aim 1: Deliver PREVAIL-VA and compare recipients of PREVAIL-VA and Usual Care on suicide-related and recovery outcomes. Aim 2: Collect qualitative data on PREVAIL-VA helpfulness, and implementation barriers and facilitators using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and rapid qualitative analysis.
METHODS: This application proposes to test in two VA health systems-Pittsburgh and Maryland-a promising PS-based approach to helping VA patients with a high risk of suicide, called PREVAIL-VA. Adapted from a civilian version with VA PS and suicide stakeholder input, PREVAIL-VA (Peers for Valued Living) provides 12, one-on-one sessions over about three months between a PS and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness, and safety. Session context is flexible, driven by the needs of the individual and by the ILSM (Invite, Learn, Share, Motivate) structure that guides how PSs interact with those whom they work. A civilian pilot study was promising; preliminary findings of a larger civilian trial showed small improvements. Veterans with documented suicide risk at each site (n=153) will be randomized to PREVAIL-VA or Usual Care (total N=306). Each site will have two trained PSs, who will each deliver PREVAIL-VA to ~40 Veterans over ~3 years (~4 Veterans at any one time). PSs will be trained and receive an hour of group supervision weekly by the PREVAIL-VA developer and licensed psychologists, who will also be available for emergencies. Sessions will be taped and 15% rated for fidelity on standardized measures. Each Veteran will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and six months post-intervention on the primary outcome of suicide risk with additional primary outcomes focusing on recovery domains such as self-rated community integration; sense of hope, meaning, and purpose. Secondary outcomes will include suicide attempts, depression, belonging, and acute care visits for suicide-related reasons. The primary analytic strategy will be a generalized mixed-effect model approach including intervention group, time, and time by group interaction terms. Relevant covariates will include site, fidelity ratings, treatment attendance, VA service use, and demographic variables. At each site, all PSs and a subset of PREVAIL-VA Veterans, VHA clinicians whose patients received PREVAIL-VA, and clinical leaders will participate in qualitative data collection (periodic reflection, interview, focus group) about helpfulness of PREVAIL-VA and relevant CFIR-based implementation factors that could inform its future adoption. Qualitative data will be analyzed with a 'rapid analysis' approach.
NEXT STEPS/Implementation: If effective, the investigators will develop an implementation toolkit and work with partners to teach PREVAIL-VA to all PSs.
- Conditions
- Suicide Risk
- Being tested
- PREVAIL
- Keywords
- suicide, peer support
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PREVAILBehavioural
12 session, peer specialist delivered, suicide prevention program
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| PREVAIL | Experimental | 12 session, peer specialist delivered, suicide prevention program Receives: Behavioral: PREVAIL |
| Usual Care | No intervention | Veterans assigned to this group will receive additional monitoring but no active intervention. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Computerized Adaptive Test- Suicide Scale; Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale
The primary outcome is the CAT-SS, which measures suicide risk severity on a 100- point scale with 5 points of precision (1= lowest, 100 = highest). The CAT-SS is an adaptive measure based on a bank of 111-items-i.e., an algorithm presents items (~10 per subject) based on answers to previous items. The CAT-SS provides a crosswalk between suicidal ideation items and items that are drawn from domains of depression and anxiety that are strongly correlated with suicidal ideation (e.g., helplessness, hopelessness, anhedonia). Thus, it is a more general measure of suicide risk (vs. a measure of suicidal ideation specifically), does not depend on participants endorsing suicidal ideation to score in the high-risk range, nor does it suffer from floor effects like other traditional suicidal ideation measures (e.g., Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation).
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Secondary outcomes (7)
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) will be used to assess suicidal ideation (past 30 days) and behaviors (past 3 months). Suicide ideation items include: (1) wish to be dead, (2) nonspecific active suicidal thoughts, (3) suicidal thoughts with methods, (4) suicidal intent, and (5) suicidal intent with plan. The suicidal behavior subscales include: (1) attempts (actual, aborted, interrupted), (2) preparatory behavior, and (3) non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. The investigators will also use two measures of psychosocial variables that potentially mediate suicide risk and are hypothesized to be impacted by PSs.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS)
Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS) which consists of 16 questions to assess depression severity. The QIDS has demonstrated high reliability, validity, and sensitivity to treatment change, including among Veterans.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) uses 3 items to measure how much work, social life, and family life are impaired by mental health symptoms.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ)
The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) uses 15 items to measure two underlying motives for suicidal desire (i.e., perceived burden and thwarted belonging). The INQ has established validity and reliability, including with Veterans.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) will be used to assess suicidal ideation (past 30 days) and behaviors (past 3 months). Suicide ideation items include: (1) wish to be dead, (2) nonspecific active suicidal thoughts, (3) suicidal thoughts with methods, (4) suicidal intent, and (5) suicidal intent with plan. The suicidal behavior subscales include: (1) attempts (actual, aborted, interrupted), (2) preparatory behavior, and (3) non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS)
The Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS) contains 18 items that assess thoughts of unlovability, unsolvability, and unbearability.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Herth Hope Index (HHI)
The Herth Hope Index (HHI) is a 12-item self-report measure designed to assess hope in adults experiencing acute, chronic, or terminal illness. The Herth Hope Index (HHI) yields a total score ranging from 12 to 84, with higher scores indicating greater levels of hope, as well as three subscale scores ranging from 4 to 28:
Sense of temporality and future (Items 1, 2, 6 [reverse-scored], and 11): Higher score indicate stronger future orientation and goal-directed thinking.
Positive readiness and expectancy (Items 4, 7, 10, and 12): Higher scores suggest greater emotional resilience and readiness to act on hope.
Interconnectedness with self and others (Items 3 [reverse-scored], 5, 8, and 9): Higher scores indicate stronger interpersonal connections and beliefs that sustain hope.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Dec 2025
- Study start1 Sep 2026
- Primary completion31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Suicide RiskStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- PREVAIL-VA is a 12-session, 3-month, semi-structured adjunctive suicide prevention program delivered by VA PSs (Peer Specialists). The content is flexible and allows for the PS to provide general supportive listening, validation, and sharing. Session duration is on average 1 hour with 15 to 45 minutes spent on a certain conversation topic. PREVAIL's framework was created to improve the consistency with which PSs delivered content related to hope, belongingness, and safety, and was retained in PREVAIL-VA. The first conversation consists of reviewing the Veteran's suicide safety plan. This is prioritized because if the Veteran is in crisis in a future session, the PS and Veteran will already have familiarized themselves with safety plan options. Subsequent ILSM conversations are determined by the PS based on the Veteran's needs and preferences (and adjusted based on supervision). While this flexibility allows for genuineness in the peer relationship.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 306 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Matthew J Chinman, PhD, Principal investigator, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PA
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07286383
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HSR4-004-24W
- Other IDs
- I01HX003944, 1I01RD000411-01A2
- Acronym
- PREVAIL
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 2 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 8 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The PI will create de-identified, study-specific datasets. All variables presented in a publication will be included in the dataset. Some loss of information might occur in this process given the need to remove PHI. The PI will replace social security and medical station numbers with study-specific numbers. The PI will drop date of birth and replace age with age categories, per PHI requirements for people 85+years of age. Service dates will be replaced with study specific time indicators.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing the Use of VA Peer Specialists to Prevent Veteran Suicide
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07286383
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PREVAIL / HSR4-004-24W
- Conditions
- Suicide Risk
- Keywords
- suicide, peer support
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 306 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 16 Dec 2025 (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 study examines a novel way to prevent suicide among Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). It will assess the efficacy of PREVAIL-VA, a 3-month intervention of 12, one-on-one sessions between a Peer Specialist (PS) and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness, support, and safety. PSs are Veterans with SMI trained to use their own experience and recovery to help other Veterans with SMI. PSs have improved mental health outcomes in other research, but this study would be the first to test their efficacy for suicide prevention in VHA. The project will compare outcomes of Veterans at risk for suicide receiving usual care, to PREVAIL-VA. This work is responsive to national calls for Veterans with SMI to receive support that is evidence-based, improves recovery (not just symptoms), and is tailored to individual needs. If successful, PREVAIL-VA could be adopted by the 1400 Peer Specialists employed in VA, greatly increasing the delivery of evidence-based services to Veterans at risk for suicide.
Detailed description
BACKGROUND: Suicide is a top priority for the VA, claiming about 6,000 Veterans each year. VA suicide services primarily focus on immediate response to increased suicide risk but lack a focus on recovery, conceptualized by VHA as an internal process of hope, healing, empowerment, and social reconnection. The lack of a recovery focus in suicide prevention is a gap in VHA care quality. VHA Peer Specialists (PSs)-Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) who are trained to use their experience to help other Veterans with SMI as full-fledged employees (~1,400 VA-wide)-could improve the quality of suicide prevention by making these services more recovery oriented. Based on multiple studies showing that PSs improve a range of outcomes for Veterans with SMI, the VA National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide calls for the development of peer-to-peer services to help those at risk for suicide for their ability to "impart hope and motivation for achieving recovery; provide support for addressing specific stressors, and help foster a sense of meaning and purpose."
SIGNIFICANCE: Administrative data shows that VHA PSs are already working with Veterans at risk for suicide. If PREVAIL-VA is effective, it could greatly increase the delivery of evidence-based services Veterans at risk for suicide receive and enhance the services by VHA Peer Specialists.
INNOVATION: No study has tested a PS-delivered suicide prevention service in the VHA in a rigorous trial.
SPECIFIC AIMS: The proposed study is a Hybrid Type 1 randomized trial with two aims: Aim 1: Deliver PREVAIL-VA and compare recipients of PREVAIL-VA and Usual Care on suicide-related and recovery outcomes. Aim 2: Collect qualitative data on PREVAIL-VA helpfulness, and implementation barriers and facilitators using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and rapid qualitative analysis.
METHODS: This application proposes to test in two VA health systems-Pittsburgh and Maryland-a promising PS-based approach to helping VA patients with a high risk of suicide, called PREVAIL-VA. Adapted from a civilian version with VA PS and suicide stakeholder input, PREVAIL-VA (Peers for Valued Living) provides 12, one-on-one sessions over about three months between a PS and a Veteran that involve semi-structured conversations focused on hope, belongingness, and safety. Session context is flexible, driven by the needs of the individual and by the ILSM (Invite, Learn, Share, Motivate) structure that guides how PSs interact with those whom they work. A civilian pilot study was promising; preliminary findings of a larger civilian trial showed small improvements. Veterans with documented suicide risk at each site (n=153) will be randomized to PREVAIL-VA or Usual Care (total N=306). Each site will have two trained PSs, who will each deliver PREVAIL-VA to ~40 Veterans over ~3 years (~4 Veterans at any one time). PSs will be trained and receive an hour of group supervision weekly by the PREVAIL-VA developer and licensed psychologists, who will also be available for emergencies. Sessions will be taped and 15% rated for fidelity on standardized measures. Each Veteran will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and six months post-intervention on the primary outcome of suicide risk with additional primary outcomes focusing on recovery domains such as self-rated community integration; sense of hope, meaning, and purpose. Secondary outcomes will include suicide attempts, depression, belonging, and acute care visits for suicide-related reasons. The primary analytic strategy will be a generalized mixed-effect model approach including intervention group, time, and time by group interaction terms. Relevant covariates will include site, fidelity ratings, treatment attendance, VA service use, and demographic variables. At each site, all PSs and a subset of PREVAIL-VA Veterans, VHA clinicians whose patients received PREVAIL-VA, and clinical leaders will participate in qualitative data collection (periodic reflection, interview, focus group) about helpfulness of PREVAIL-VA and relevant CFIR-based implementation factors that could inform its future adoption. Qualitative data will be analyzed with a 'rapid analysis' approach.
NEXT STEPS/Implementation: If effective, the investigators will develop an implementation toolkit and work with partners to teach PREVAIL-VA to all PSs.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- PREVAIL-VA is a 12-session, 3-month, semi-structured adjunctive suicide prevention program delivered by VA PSs (Peer Specialists). The content is flexible and allows for the PS to provide general supportive listening, validation, and sharing. Session duration is on average 1 hour with 15 to 45 minutes spent on a certain conversation topic. PREVAIL's framework was created to improve the consistency with which PSs delivered content related to hope, belongingness, and safety, and was retained in PREVAIL-VA. The first conversation consists of reviewing the Veteran's suicide safety plan. This is prioritized because if the Veteran is in crisis in a future session, the PS and Veteran will already have familiarized themselves with safety plan options. Subsequent ILSM conversations are determined by the PS based on the Veteran's needs and preferences (and adjusted based on supervision). While this flexibility allows for genuineness in the peer relationship.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| PREVAIL | Experimental | Behavioral: PREVAIL12 session, peer specialist delivered, suicide prevention program |
| Usual Care | No intervention | –Veterans assigned to this group will receive additional monitoring but no active intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Moderate to high suicide risk according to one of the following occurring in the prior 3 months:
- AND
- Current suicidal ideation according to the 9th item of the Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) > 0 at enrollment
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Inability to provide informed consent for any reason, including due to acute psychosis or mania, dementia, or active guardianship or durable power of attorney
- Current or planned receipt of residential or intensive outpatient treatment
- Plan to transfer or terminate care in the next 3 months
- Homicidal ideation in the past 6 months or violent behavior in the past 12 months
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PREVAIL12 session, peer specialist delivered, suicide prevention program | Behavioural | PREVAIL |
Primary outcome
Computerized Adaptive Test- Suicide Scale; Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
The primary outcome is the CAT-SS, which measures suicide risk severity on a 100- point scale with 5 points of precision (1= lowest, 100 = highest). The CAT-SS is an adaptive measure based on a bank of 111-items-i.e., an algorithm presents items (~10 per subject) based on answers to previous items. The CAT-SS provides a crosswalk between suicidal ideation items and items that are drawn from domains of depression and anxiety that are strongly correlated with suicidal ideation (e.g., helplessness, hopelessness, anhedonia). Thus, it is a more general measure of suicide risk (vs. a measure of suicidal ideation specifically), does not depend on participants endorsing suicidal ideation to score in the high-risk range, nor does it suffer from floor effects like other traditional suicidal ideation measures (e.g., Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation).
7 secondary outcomes
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Suicide Cognitions Scale (SCS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Herth Hope Index (HHI)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The PI will create de-identified, study-specific datasets. All variables presented in a publication will be included in the dataset. Some loss of information might occur in this process given the need to remove PHI. The PI will replace social security and medical station numbers with study-specific numbers. The PI will drop date of birth and replace age with age categories, per PHI requirements for people 85+years of age. Service dates will be replaced with study specific time indicators.
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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.
Matthew J Chinman, PhD principal investigator
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PA
3 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing PREVAIL in people with Suicide Risk, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 3 sites 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 10 inclusion and 7 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 3 sites 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?
Contact Matthew J Chinman, PhD ((412) 360-2438, matthew.chinman@va.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Computerized Adaptive Test- Suicide Scale; Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months). 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 8 Sep 2026.