These subjects were participants in the NIMH-funded Youth Support Team intervention (YST-II) trial for suicidal adolescents (www.clinicaltrials.gov), which examined a supplemental social support intervention for adolescents following psychiatric hospitalization (King et al. 2009a). Data were collected between November 2002 and December 2005. The study’s inclusion criteria for acute suicide risk were met by parent or adolescent report of: (a) recent suicidal ideation that was either unrelenting or accompanied by a specific plan (“Did you think about killing yourself many times in the last four weeks?” or “Did you plan exactly how you would kill yourself?”); or (b) suicide attempt within the last 4 weeks; taken from the NIMH DISC-IV (Shaffer et al. 1998) Suicidal Ideation/Behavior section. For one case missing the DISC, the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior response, “I thought about killing myself (almost every day) in the last month” was used. Exclusion criteria included: (a) severe cognitive impairment, (b) direct transfer to pediatric medical unit, (c) direct transfer to residential placement, (d) distance (>1 h travel), or (e) no legal guardian (e.g., awaiting court appointment). A full description of the intervention study design, recruitment and retention, and an analysis of the primary outcome data are available (King et al. 2009a).
