Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27876105›Full record

Trial reportPsychological medicine2017

Psychological interventions to reduce suicidality in high-risk patients with major depression: a randomized controlled trial.

C M Celano, E E Beale, C A Mastromauro, J G Stewart, R A Millstein, R P Auerbach, C A Bedoya, J C Huffman

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychological medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
8.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Positive psychology interventions during pregnancy: A systematic review.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026
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  5. Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

C M CelanoHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
E E BealeDepartment of Psychiatry,Massachusetts General Hospital,Boston, MA,USA.
C A MastromauroDepartment of Psychiatry,Massachusetts General Hospital,Boston, MA,USA.
J G StewartHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
R A MillsteinHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
R P AuerbachHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
C A BedoyaHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
J C HuffmanHarvard Medical School,Boston, MA,USA.
Massachusetts General Hospital · USHarvard University · USMcLean Hospital · US

Funding

Developing a positive psychology intervention to improve cardiac health behaviorsR01HL113272 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI HUFFMAN, JEFF C · 2013 to 2017
$2.6M
A positive psychology intervention to promote health behaviors in heart failureK23HL123607 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI CELANO, CHRISTOPHER M · 2015 to 2019
$859k
Examination of Reward Processing in the Treatment of Adolescent Major DepressionK23MH097786 · NIMH · MCLEAN HOSPITAL · PI AUERBACH, RANDY PATRICK · 2013 to 2016
$686k
NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL123607NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL113272NIMH NIH HHS K23 MH097786
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPositive psychological constructs have been associated with reduced suicidal ideation, and interventions to cultivate positive feelings have the potential to reduce suicide risk. This study compares the efficacy of a 6-week, telephone-based positive psychology (PP) intervention against a cognition-focused (CF) control intervention among patients recently hospitalized for depression and suicidal ideation or behavior.

methodA total of 65 adults with a current major depressive episode reporting suicidal ideation or a recent suicide attempt were enrolled from participating in-patient psychiatric units. Prior to discharge, participants were randomized to the PP (n = 32) or CF (n = 33) intervention. In both interventions, participants received a treatment manual, performed weekly PP (e.g. gratitude letter) or CF (e.g. recalling daily events) exercises, and completed weekly one-on-one telephone sessions over 6 weeks. Between-group differences in hopelessness (primary outcome), depression, suicidality and positive psychological constructs at 6 and 12 weeks were tested using mixed-effects models accounting for intensity of post-hospitalization psychiatric treatment.

resultsCompared with PP, the CF intervention was associated with significantly greater improvements in hopelessness at 6 weeks (β = -3.15, 95% confidence interval -6.18 to -0.12, effect size = -0.84, p = 0.04), but not 12 weeks. Similarly, the CF intervention led to greater improvements in depression, suicidal ideation, optimism and gratitude at 6 and 12 weeks.

conclusionsContrary to our hypothesis, the CF intervention was superior to PP in improving hopelessness, other suicide risk factors and positive psychological constructs during a key post-discharge period among suicidal patients with depression. Further study of this CF intervention is warranted in populations at high suicide risk.

Indexed as

Outcome Assessment, Health CareSuicide PreventionAdultCognitive Behavioral TherapyFemaleHumansMajor Depressive DisorderMaleMiddle AgedSingle-Blind MethodYoung AdultCognitiondepressionoptimismpositive psychologysuicide

Identifiers

PMID27876105
PMCPMC5340604
OpenAlexW2556428935

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.