Augmenting Suicide Prevention Interventions for Service Members 

Sponsor/Type: Ohio State University/DOD
Project Period: 09/30/2022 – 09/29/2026

Brief description of project:

Overarching Challenge: The suicide rate among US military personnel remains elevated as compared to the age- and gender-adjusted general population. Researchers have identified several strategies that are effective for preventing suicidality among military personnel, but little is known about when or for whom these strategies are most likely to reduce suicidality among military personnel. The Augmenting Suicide Prevention Interventions for Servicemembers (ASPIS) collaboration proposes to address this overarching challenge by conducting five synergistic studies guided by a common, overarching question: What strategies, delivered how, by whom, and under which circumstances, are most effective for whom? ASPIS directly address multiple areas of encouragement within the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program

(PRMRP) Suicide Prevention topic area:

1. treatment strategies and interventions to prevent suicidality
2. which interventions or combinations of interventions are most helpful and under what specific conditions
3. determining strategies for an efficacy of lethal means safety and restriction methods

Our overall objective is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and scale of evidence-based strategies to prevent suicidality among Servicemembers.

For more information contact
Tracy Stecker
Ph.D.
stecker@musc.edu