Suicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics (SUPPORT) for US Veterans With Serious Mental Illness: Community Engagement Approach

• DOI: 10.2196/56204
• Publication Date: 2024-03-15T13:04:45Z
• Authors: Samantha A Chalker; Jesus Serafez; Yuki Imai; Jeffrey Stinchcomb; Estefany Mendez; Colin A Depp; Elizabeth W Twamley; Karen L Fortuna; Marianne Goodman; Matthew Chinman
• Keywords: Community Engagement

Background Peer specialists are hired, trained, and accredited to share their lived experience of psychiatric illness support other similar individuals through the recovery process. There limited data on role peer in suicide prevention, including intervention development. Objective To better understand within Veterans Health Administration (VHA), we followed partnership community engagement a formative research approach development (1) identify barriers, facilitators, perceptions VHA delivering prevention service (2) develop refine an curriculum based evidence-informed preliminary framework for veterans with serious mental (SMI). Methods Following approach, local national health leaders, SMI, veteran met framework. Next, specialist advisors (n=5) scientific (n=6) participated respective advisory boards every 2-4 months more than 18 via videoconferencing address study objectives. The process used was reflexive thematic analysis after each board meeting. Results themes discussed included desire training specialists, determining (3) integration (4) difficulties using safety plans during crisis. were no discrepancies content between boards. Advisor input led Suicide Prevention by Peers Offering Recovery Tactics (SUPPORT). SUPPORT includes general specialist–delivered SMI at increased risk. This aims increase competence confidence supports risk Conclusions paper intends document procedures taken development, specifically those be source future developing evaluating interventions. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05537376; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05537376