Research Roundup November 2026: Recently Published Findings From AFSP-Funded Studies

The Research Roundup is a regular update of recently published findings in suicide prevention research. AFSP-funded studies included in this roundup examined how…

• A brief therapy may reduce suicide attempts among racially and ethnically minoritized soldiers
• Patterns of engagement with smartphone check-ins may offer clues about changing suicide risk
• Feelings of defeat and entrapment may contribute to suicidal thoughts among sexual and gender minority adults, and
• Resilience and emotional distress may help identify adolescents vulnerable to mood disorders and suicidal behavior

Researcher: Laura Khazem, PhD
Institution: The Ohio State University
Grant Type: 2021 Pilot Research Grant — $30,000
Grant Title: Telehealth-Delivered Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Prevent Suicides in People with Physical Disabilities

Racially and ethnically minoritized people remain underrepresented in suicide prevention research, making it difficult to know whether treatments shown to work in predominantly White samples are equally effective across different communities. These gaps are especially important because minoritized groups may experience suicide risk in the context of distinct cultural and structural stressors. Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (BCBT) is a structured, time-limited treatment that helps people recognize patterns that contribute to suicide risk, develop coping and emotion-regulation skills, and create a personalized crisis response plan. Although BCBT has been shown to reduce suicide attempts in military and other populations, less has been known about its effectiveness specifically among racially and ethnically minoritized individuals. 

Dr. Laura Khazem used her AFSP funding to conduct a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial to examine how BCBT performed among 65 active-duty U.S. Army soldiers from racially and ethnically minoritized backgrounds who had recently attempted suicide or were experiencing suicidal thoughts with intent to die. Participants received either BCBT or treatment as usual, which could include psychotherapy, medication management, substance use treatment, and support groups. After accounting for participants' prior suicide attempts, researchers estimated that soldiers receiving BCBT had a 2% probability of making a suicide attempt during follow-up, compared with 24% among those receiving usual care. Suicidal thoughts declined over time in both groups, but BCBT did not produce significantly greater reductions in suicidal ideation. Exploratory findings also suggested that BCBT may help reduce feelings of being a burden to others and protect against worsening social disconnection, although the small sample limits conclusions about specific racial and ethnic groups. Overall, the findings provide encouraging evidence that an established suicide-focused treatment can reduce suicide attempts among racially and ethnically minoritized service members, while underscoring the need for larger studies across diverse populations.

Citation: Cho, G.Y., Khazem, L.R., Allan, N.P. et al. Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention Among Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Soldiers: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 48, 60 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-026-10323-2   

Researcher: Phillipe Courtet, MD, PhD, Enrique Baca-Garcia, MD, PhD
Institution: Université de Montpellier (France), Fundación Jimenez Diaz (Spain)
Grant Type: 2017 Linked Standard Research Grant – $299,394
Grant Title: Sleep and Appetite as Risk Markers for Suicidality in a Cross-National Cohort of Suicidal Patients

Suicide risk can change quickly, sometimes over the course of hours or days, making it difficult for traditional clinical assessments to capture how someone is doing between appointments. One way researchers are trying to capture these changes is through ecological[BW1] [BW2]  momentary assessment (EMA), which uses brief smartphone check-ins to ask people about their thoughts, emotions, and experiences as they go about daily life. Most EMA research has focused on what people report in these surveys, but the way someone engages with the monitoring itself may also contain useful information. Changes in how consistently a person responds, for example, could reflect shifts in motivation, distress, or their ability to stay engaged with self-monitoring. Researchers are therefore exploring whether patterns of participation, not just answers to questions, might provide another signal of changing suicide risk.

With AFSP funding, Dr. Enrique Baca-García and Dr. Philipe Courtet used EMA to follow 585 psychiatric outpatients in Spain who had recently attempted suicide or received emergency care for suicidal thoughts. Over 12 months, participants received brief daily surveys through the MEmind smartphone app, allowing researchers to examine both what participants reported and how consistently they engaged with the assessments. Participants who regularly completed the check-ins across the year were less likely to make a suicide attempt during follow-up. What mattered was the consistency of their participation, rather than simply how many surveys they completed overall. The relationship with suicidal thoughts was more complex, with the highest levels of active suicidal ideation appearing among participants whose engagement was moderate and inconsistent.

The researchers suggest that steady participation may reflect greater self-regulation, motivation, or engagement with care, while changing or sporadic response patterns could sometimes signal periods of vulnerability. Because the study was observational, these patterns do not show that completing smartphone surveys prevents suicide attempts. Instead, the findings suggest that how someone engages with digital monitoring may itself provide useful information, potentially helping future systems recognize changes in risk and prompt timely outreach.

Researcher: Amy Brausch, PhD
Institution: Western Kentucky University
Grant Type: 2022 Distinguished Investigator Grant — $124,984
Grant Title: Sorting Out Self-harm From Suicide Risk: A Novel Assessment

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people (i.e., including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and other people whose sexual orientation or gender identity differs from the majority) experience higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than cisgender heterosexual people. Research suggests that this disparity is shaped in part by experiences such as discrimination, stigma, rejection, and other forms of minority stress, rather than by SGM identity itself. One framework used to understand how suicidal thoughts develop is the Integrated Motivational-Volitional model, which highlights two psychological experiences: defeat (i.e., feeling overwhelmed by failure, struggle, or loss) and entrapment (i.e., feeling a strong desire to escape while seeing no way out). Both have been linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviors across many populations, but less is known about whether these experiences operate differently for SGM adults, whose broader social environments may add additional sources of stress or support. 

With her AFSP grant, Dr. Amy Brausch examined these relationships in two adult samples: 865 college students in the United States and 734 adults in the United Kingdom. In both groups, SGM participants were more likely than cisgender heterosexual participants to report a history of suicidal thoughts, and higher levels of both defeat and entrapment were associated with suicidal ideation. In the U.S. sample, the link between entrapment and suicidal ideation was especially strong among SGM participants. That pattern did not appear in the U.K. sample, where suicidal thoughts were common across both SGM and cisgender heterosexual participants. The researchers note that the U.K. sample was generally at higher risk, which may have made differences between groups harder to see. The findings suggest that defeat and entrapment may be important pathways to suicidal distress across groups. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to clarify how shared psychological risk factors and identity-specific stressors interact over time.

Citation: Amy M. Brausch, Taylor Kalgren, Seonaid Cleare , Kirsty Clark & Rory C. O’Connor (02 Sep 2026): Suicide Risk in Adults: The Roles of Defeat, Entrapment, and Sexual and Gender Minority Identity Across Two Samples, Archives of Suicide Research, https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2026.2724116

Researchers: Madhukar Trivedi, MD
Institution: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Grant Type: 2020 Focus Grant — $1,496,939
Grant Title: Characterizing Inflammatory Profiles and Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents

Adolescence is a critical period for the emergence of mood disorders and suicidal behavior, but young people do not all arrive at risk in the same way. Some adolescents have already experienced a suicide attempt or another acute suicidal crisis, while others may carry vulnerability through family history, trauma, anxiety, substance use, or other risk factors before suicidal thoughts or behaviors appear. Researchers are increasingly interested in what distinguishes these groups, including differences in depression, anxiety, irritability, hopelessness, optimism, and resilience. Understanding these differences may help clarify which signs reflect broader vulnerability to mood disorders, which are more closely associated with suicidal behavior, and which protective factors might help interrupt the progression from risk to crisis.

With AFSP funding, Dr. Madhukar Trivedi studied 225 adolescents ages 12 to 18 to better understand what might distinguish young people who have already experienced a suicidal crisis from those who may be vulnerable but have not. The researchers compared three groups: adolescents who had recently attempted suicide or experienced a serious suicidal crisis; adolescents who had personal or family risk factors for a mood disorder but no history of suicidal behavior; and adolescents without those psychiatric risk factors. Adolescents who had experienced a suicidal crisis showed the greatest overall distress, with substantially more depression, anxiety, irritability, and hopelessness, along with lower optimism and resilience.

The at-risk adolescents showed a subtler pattern. Most did not yet have a psychiatric diagnosis and remained about as hopeful and optimistic as the comparison group, but they already showed greater emotional distress and lower resilience. The researchers suggest this combination could represent an early sign of vulnerability: a young person may begin having more difficulty coping before losing hope for the future or developing more serious symptoms. Because the study is following these adolescents over time, researchers will be able to examine whether these early differences help explain who later develops mood disorders or suicidal thoughts and behaviors, while also studying biological changes that may accompany that progression.

Citation: Chin Fatt, C. R., Ayvaci, E. R., Mayes, T. L., Vasu, S., Carmody, T. J., Foster, J. A., Emslie, G. J., & Trivedi, M. H. (2026). Clinical and psychological characteristics of adolescents at risk of mood disorders compared with adolescents with suicidal behavior. Journal of affective disorders, 414, 122365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.122365

Learn more about the AFSP research grants featured in this monthly roundup, as well as others, here.