A Recovery-Oriented Suicide Prevention Program Led by Peer Specialists for Veterans With Serious Mental Illness: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

backgroundVeterans with serious mental illness (SMI) have significantly elevated suicide risk compared to those without SMI. This group may also experience cognitive and functional impairments that complicate suicide prevention care.

objectiveWe detail a pilot randomized controlled trial protocol evaluating a novel peer specialist-delivered suicide prevention intervention tailored to SMI called Suicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics (SUPPORT). In SUPPORT, peer specialists are trained in foundational suicide prevention information and intervention delivery. Once a week for 50 minutes, a peer specialist meets with a veteran via telehealth or in person to deliver the 4 SUPPORT modules that focus on recovery and suicide prevention. The peer specialist conducts 2 check-in calls at 2 and 4 weeks after the final module to reinforce the intervention material and offer additional resources. Aim 1 will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of SUPPORT. Aim 2 will determine the preliminary impact of SUPPORT versus enhanced standard care on personal recovery and suicide ideation severity (primary outcomes), as well as domains of veteran functioning (secondary outcomes). Standard care is enhanced such that all veterans receive additional suicide risk assessment, which may result in additional clinical interaction.

methodsA pilot randomized controlled trial with 50 veterans randomized into 2 groups will be conducted. Participants will be recruited from the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. Veterans with SMI and past-1-month active suicide thoughts or past-3-month suicide behavior as defined by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale will be included. Enrolled veterans will be randomized to receive SUPPORT or enhanced standard care. All veteran participants will be assessed at baseline and the 1-, 2-, and 3-month follow-up assessments. Feasibility is defined as attainment of recruitment goals and a ≥70% retention rate. Acceptability for veterans is measured using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8. Acceptability for peer specialists is measured using a satisfaction question rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Primary outcomes are measured using the Recovery Assessment Scale-41 (personal recovery), as well as the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (suicide ideation severity). Secondary outcomes are measured using the Specific Level of Functioning Scale (functioning), the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (quality of life), and a laboratory-developed self-knowledge task (suicide prevention strategy recall). Outcomes will be tested using mixed-effects models. Safety procedures for all participants are discussed.

resultsThis trial was funded in November 2022. Community-engaged intervention and protocol refinement were completed in January 2025. Data collection for the randomized controlled trial began in January 2025.

conclusionsBy combining training for peer specialists with a novel recovery-oriented suicide prevention intervention, SUPPORT helps establish a role for peer specialists in suicide prevention and addressing suicide in veterans with SMI.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05537376; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05537376. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/66182.