Task-Shifting Adapted IPT-A for Youth Suicide Prevention

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Suicidal Ideation, Depressive Symptoms, Adolescent Mental Health

In brief

The goal of this randomized pragmatic clinical trial is to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and mechanisms of change of a brief adaptation of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (BIPT-A), adapted and task-shifted to lay providers (mentors, youth trusted adults) in youth community centers (YCCs) as an upstream approach to suicide. It focuses on Hispanic adolescents ages 12-17 enrolled in these YCCs. The pragmatic clinical trial will evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of adapted IPT-A delivered by mentors in YCCs and whether adapted BIPT-A impacts mechanisms of change (depressive symptoms, belongingness, and burdensomeness or feeling like a burden to others). The main questions to answer are: * Is adapted BIPT-A, when delivered by trained lay providers (youth mentors), feasible and acceptable in youth community centers? * Does adapted BIPT-A, delivered by lay providers, change key risk factors (i.e., key mechanisms: depressive symptoms, low belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) associated with suicide ideation? The investigators will compare adolescents randomized to adapted BIPT-A (6 sessions) delivered by a trained youth mentor with those receiving usual services at the community center (one individual session focused on active listening). Participants will: 1. Be screened for subthreshold depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire Adolescent version (PHQ-A). Adolescent participants will be included if they score between 4 and 9 (mild depression). Participants with a PHQ-A score of 10 or higher (severe depression) will not be eligible and will be referred to a licensed mental health provider for appropriate care. 2. Be randomized to adapted BIPT-A or usual care. Adolescent participants in the intervention arm will participate in 6 weekly, adapted BIPT-A sessions with a trained youth mentor. Intervention focuses on education, affect identification, and interpersonal skills.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07383831

Run by

Boston College

People needed

46

Starts

2026-10-01

Expected to finish

2028-07-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-28

Who can join

Age: 12 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Parent consent
• Adolescent consent
• Enrolled in youth community centers
• Self-identified as Hispanic or Latine
• Between 12 and 17 years old.
• Scoring threshold for depression (4-9) as indicated in the PHQ-A.
• No current report of suicide ideation with plan or self-harming behaviors

You may not qualify if…

• Not consented to participate in the study
• Scoring 10 or higher in the PHQ-A, indicating depressive disorder
• Active suicide ideation (i.e., having thoughts of killing oneself, thinking about how in the past month).

Where it is running

• Boston College — Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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