Increasing Social Connection Through Crisis Caring Contacts: A Pragmatic Trial

Lack of social connection is a common and powerful predictor of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, functional decline, and death, even after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical variables. Loneliness, specifically, is associated with a 26% increased likelihood of all-cause mortality. The urgency of addressing these problems is only amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which for some time may further increase loneliness, suicide, and other causes of mortality. Due to their risk for loneliness and negative health outcomes, a group of particular concern is older adults and patients with medical or psychiatric comorbidity who have poor treatment engagement.

Caring Contacts is an intervention that can address loneliness and treatment disengagement. It involves periodically sending brief messages to at-risk individuals with nondemanding expressions of care and concern. It is one of just two non-pharmacologic interventions to have evidence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for reducing rates of suicide. However, Caring Contacts has only been evaluated in a relatively narrowly indicated population of patients with acute psychiatric issues.

Major gaps in the understanding of Caring Contacts include whether it reduces loneliness, whether it can diminish causes of mortality besides suicide, and whether it is effective older Veterans and patients with treatment disengagement. The overarching objective of this project is to evaluate "Crisis Caring Contacts" (CCC), an adaptation of Caring Contacts tailored to Veterans at risk for lack of social connection and lapses in treatment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Primary aims for this study are: 1) Among older Veterans with poor treatment engagement, evaluate the effectiveness of Crisis Caring Contacts in decreasing loneliness, compared to enhanced usual care; 2) Evaluate the effect of Crisis Caring Contacts on other important outcomes, including treatment engagement and suicidal ideation; 3) Explore potential moderators of treatment response to Crisis Caring Contacts; and 4) Explore the effect of Crisis Caring Contacts on all-cause mortality, suicide attempts, and drug overdoses.

Impact: This project will advance scientific understanding of key gaps related to the mechanisms and outcomes of Caring Contacts, while also evaluating a timely, pragmatic, low-cost, and scalable intervention for Veterans affected by lack of social connection and treatment engagement.

Inclusion criteria

• age 50 years and above
• have at least four VA appointments in the prior 6-18 months in primary care or mental health
• have at least two comorbidities contained in the Elixhauser Index
• a) zero completed appointments in the past 6 months and zero appointments scheduled, or b) in the 90th percentile or higher in terms of no-shows or appointments canceled by patient in the prior 12 months

Exclusion criteria

• no valid mailing address
• no valid phone number
• inclusion in an existing Caring Contacts program
• diagnosis of neurocognitive disorder or other significant cognitive impairment indicative of inadequate decision-making capacity