Can mindfulness and gratitude help prevent teen suicide?

NCT ID NCT04994873

Symptom relief Sponsor: Brown University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study is testing a program called STEP that teaches teens skills like mindfulness, gratitude, and savoring positive moments. The goal is to see if it can reduce suicidal thoughts and attempts after a teen is discharged from inpatient psychiatric care. 216 teens will be randomly assigned to either STEP or standard care plus a safety app. The study is currently recruiting.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Behavioral intervention (STEP) focusing on mindfulness, gratitude, and savoring
What this could lead to: If it works, this could provide a practical, low-cost program to help teens reduce suicidal thoughts and attempts after a hospital stay.
What could go wrong: This is a relatively small, early-stage study without a drug or device. The intervention is behavioral, so results may vary widely and may not be easy to replicate in other settings.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 216 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2021

Expected to finish

Sep 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

12 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Patients * Ages 12- 60 years * hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit due to suicide risk * past month suicide attempts or suicidal ideation * proficient in English (parent either English or Spanish * access to a smart phone. Inclusion Criteria: Stakeholders Ages 22 - 60 years * work with adolescents hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit due to suicide risk * proficient in English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: * active psychotic disorder * significant cognitive impairment or deficits * ward of the State * discharge to residential facility.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Suicide, Attempted

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Suicide, attempted

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Can mindfulness and gratitude help prevent teen suicide?

What the study statuses mean