(PS2-A14) Preliminary Findings from a Brief Mindfulness Intervention for Adults with Suicidal Ideation

Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2020), underscoring the necessity of developing interventions that effectively target STBs (suicidal thoughts and behaviors) and are easily implemented. Previous research has found that mindfulness, or one’s ability to maintain non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, is negatively associated with STBs (Cheng et al., 2018). Furthermore, interventions that focus on improving mindfulness have been shown to reduce STBs (e.g., Raj et al, 2019). However, mindfulness interventions tend to be time-consuming and resource-intensive, which may be prohibitive for individuals with severe symptoms or who have fewer resources. Brief mindfulness interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing distress (Kubo et al., 2018), but their impact on STBs has yet to be investigated. Therefore, the present research endeavored to fill gaps in the literature by examining the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a pilot randomized controlled trial of a brief, daily mindfulness intervention aiming to reduce STBs among individuals who are currently suicidal.  

Adults (n = 82) experiencing suicidal ideation (SI) in the past two weeks were recruited online. Participants completed a series of questionnaires assessing SI (using the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation; Beck & Steer, 1991) and suicidal behaviors (using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale; Posner et al., 2011). Participants were then randomized to the mindfulness intervention condition (n = 40) or the sham-mindfulness control condition (n = 42). Over the next 14 days, participants in the mindfulness condition received daily text-messages with brief, guided mindfulness audio exercises. Participants in the control condition received daily text-messages with brief, non-mindfulness audio exercises. All participants also completed a daily survey each evening of the intervention, a post-intervention survey, and a one-month follow-up survey, all assessing STBs.

Results indicated that the mindfulness intervention was both feasible and acceptable, as evidenced by the intervention participant’s 88% retention rate at post-intervention and 78% retention rate at follow-up. In addition, participants in the intervention condition completed an average of 87% of the daily surveys and 89% of the daily mindfulness exercises. Analyses showed that the intervention group (M = 7.18; SD = 8.56) had significantly lower SI at post-intervention compared to the control group (M = 9.66; SD = 7.57), t(78) = -1.71, p = .046, d = -0.38. The same pattern of results was observed at the follow-up. However, once relevant covariates (e.g., baseline SI) were included in the model, the group differences were no longer significant (all p’s > .22). There were also no significant differences in suicidal behaviors by group at post-intervention or follow-up (all p’s > .09). These results suggest that although the intervention was feasible and acceptable to participants, individuals who are suicidal may require more involved mindfulness interventions (e.g., exercises of longer duration) to experience an appreciable decline in STBs as a result of the intervention.