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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06552871

Participatory Research for Suicide Prevention in Autism

The goal of this study is to pilot test a new educational intervention for organization members focused on suicide prevention for autistic people. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does participating in the intervention increase participants' knowledge, skills, and actions to support suicide prevention for autistic people? * What feedback do participants have to help improve the intervention?

Participants will:

* engage in a four-part virtual educational intervention * answer questions via online survey before, after, and 3-months after the intervention * participate in an optional interview to provide feedback

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic Disorder Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders Self-Injurious Behavior Suicide Suicide Prevention

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States

About this study

This study will pilot test a new four-part virtual educational intervention called Forming Love around Autistic People to Prevent Suicide (FLAPS).

Participants will be active members of an organization (e.g., paid employee, volunteer, stakeholder) whose work impacts autistic people. They will participate in four virtual educational sessions led by trained facilitators.

The educational intervention will provide current research evidence and community-informed information about suicide risk and prevention, and engage participants in active discussions to expand their knowledge and skills as well as to promote action planning to support suicide prevention for autistic people in their community.

Participants will provide demographic and descriptive information and complete the Steps Toward Prevention (Autism Community Suicide Prevention) measure at three time-points (Pre-intervention, post-intervention [approximately 2 months after baseline], and 3-months after intervention). The Steps Toward Prevention (Autism Community Suicide Prevention) measure will assess participants' knowledge, skills, and actions to support suicide prevention for autistic people. They will also be provided an option to complete a short interview to provide feedback about the FLAPS intervention.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Active member of an organization whose work impacts autistic people
  • Age 18+
  • Fluent English language to participate in virtual educational intervention

Exclusion criteria

  • No access to an internet-connected device
  • Unable to participate in a virtual educational intervention

Treatment and study plan

Forming Love around Autistic People to Prevent Suicide

Behavioral

Four-part virtual educational intervention

Other names: FLAPS

Primary outcomes

  1. Steps Toward Prevention - Autism Community Suicide Prevention: Knowledge & Capacity

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (approximately 2 months after baseline), and 3-months after intervention

    Self-report measure of knowledge, skills, and actions to support suicide prevention for autistic people. This reported data is for the Knowledge & Capacity scale of the Steps Toward Prevention - Autism Community Suicide Prevention measure. This scale inquires about how true eight statements are for the respondent currently on a 5-point scale (Definitely not true - Definitely true). Scores are averaged across the items (1-5 possible range). Higher numbers indicate greater knowledge and capacity for suicide prevention.

  2. Steps Toward Prevention - Autism Community Suicide Prevention: Actions

    Time frame: Pre-intervention, post-intervention (approximately 2 months after baseline), and 3-months after intervention

    Self-report measure of knowledge, skills, and actions to support suicide prevention for autistic people. This reported data is for the Actions scale of the Steps Toward Prevention - Autism Community Suicide Prevention measure. This inquires about how often the respondent has done twelve types of actions in the past month on a 5-point scale (Never - More than once a week). Scores are averaged across the items (1-5 possible range). Higher numbers indicate greater engagement in actions for suicide prevention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Qualitative Interview

    Time frame: Post intervention (approximately 2 months after baseline)

    Open-ended interview questions to understand additional outcomes that participants experienced that they attribute to the intervention.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Utah

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Aug 14, 2024
Registry last updated
Jan 26, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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