Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention Among Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Soldiers: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Suicide is a pressing public health concern that affects racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) populations who are both underrepresented in suicide prevention research and less likely to access suicide-specific interventions. The limited number of REM people in clinical trials for suicide prevention interventions reduces our understanding of whether these treatments work for them and prevents any identification of relevant risk factors. This study is a secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (BCBT) to examine its efficacy in reducing suicide risk for 65 REM active-duty soldiers. Results indicate that BCBT reduces suicide attempts, but not suicidal thoughts at the 3-month follow-up and across the 6-month assessment period for REM soldiers. Limitations to generalizability may be addressed by future research including larger samples of REM individuals to examine treatment effects and identify potential mechanisms for specific REM groups. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02038075.