Prepped and Ready: A Digital Intervention for Caregivers to Reduce Suicide Risk in Youth

BackgroundPrepped and Ready is a novel intervention designed to enhance caregiver knowledge of means restriction-a suicide prevention strategy that can be implemented in the home. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which participation in Prepped and Ready is associated with changes in caregivers' implementation of means restriction.MethodsParticipants independently viewed the single-session digital intervention. Survey data were collected at pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), and three-week follow-up (T3).ResultsA total of 550 participants (90.9% female, 86.2% White, 68.5% college-educated, and 51.3% from suburban areas) completed the intervention and the T1 and T2 surveys, while 60.7% completed the T3 survey. The proportion of participants locking medications increased from 44.2% at T1 to 82.5% at T3 (OR = 103, 95% CI: 17-637, p < 0.001). Among firearm owners, adoption of the safest storage method increased from 31.3% at T1 to 61.0% at T3 (OR 9.2, 95% CI: 4-19, p < 0.001). Nearly all participants (99.3%) agreed Prepped and Ready provided value.ConclusionsThis study suggests that a brief intervention for caregivers has promise for improving implementation of means restriction practices. Further research is needed to bolster confidence in the generalizability of findings.