Trial to Test Brief Family Therapy for Teens After Suicide Crisis

Researchers in China have designed a randomized controlled trial to test whether a brief, family-focused intervention can reduce the repetition of suicidal behavior among adolescents who present after a suicide crisis. The protocol, published in BMC Psychiatry as an open-access study protocol, describes a single-center, parallel-group trial that will enroll 824 adolescents together with their family caregivers. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a three-session family-based cognitive behavioral therapy program or an enhanced usual care control condition consisting of supportive contact and psychoeducation. The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on February 24, 2025, under registration number ChiCTR2500097699.

The trial’s primary outcome is the time from randomization to a first repeated suicidal behavior within 90 days, assessed with the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes include the occurrence of suicide attempts, the frequency of self-harm, participants’ self-efficacy in coping with self-harm, perceived family functioning, retention rate, and adherence to medical treatment. Follow-up assessments are scheduled at day 30, day 60, day 90, and again at six months, allowing the investigators to track outcomes over both the acute crisis period and the longer term. Data analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle using Cox proportional hazards models.

The choice of a family-based format reflects the protocol’s framing of suicidal behavior in adolescents as a major global public health challenge for which evidence-based, scalable interventions remain limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The intervention under study is deliberately brief, at three sessions, a feature the authors identify as relevant to scaling in resource-limited settings if the trial demonstrates effectiveness. The control condition is not a bare waitlist but enhanced usual care, combining supportive contact with psychoeducation, which gives the comparison a meaningful benchmark against routine clinical support.

As a protocol paper, the publication sets out planned methods rather than findings, and no outcome data are yet available from the trial. The registered design, with its 824-participant sample and predefined statistical models, will determine whether the brief family-based cognitive behavioral therapy service can reduce repetitions of suicidal behavior among adolescents in crisis. If the trial succeeds, the authors state that the intervention has the potential to be scaled in resource-limited settings, an aim tied directly to the service’s brevity and family-centered delivery. The protocol version listed is 1.0, dated December 27, 2024.

Subject of Research: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a family-focused suicide risk management service for adolescents

Article Title: Family-focused suicide risk management service on reducing suicide behavior repetitions among adolescents: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Article References: Yin, Y., Min, J., & Tong, Y. (2026). Family-focused suicide risk management service on reducing suicide behavior repetitions among adolescents: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-026-08791-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-026-08791-7

Keywords: suicide prevention, adolescent mental health, randomized controlled trial, family-based intervention, cognitive behavioral therapy, study protocol, self-harm, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, low- and middle-income countries, BMC Psychiatry, Family-focused, suicide