The Ripple Effect: Help us beat rural suicide

• Register: ANZCTR
• Last refreshed on: 13 January 2020
• Main ID: ACTRN12616000289415
• Date of registration: 07/03/2016
• Prospective Registration: Yes
• Primary sponsor: Deakin University/National Centre for Farmer Health
• Public title: The Ripple Effect: Help us beat rural suicide
• Scientific title: The Ripple Effect : A digital intervention to reduce the stigma associated with a personal experience in the Australian rural community
• Date of first enrolment: 30/06/2016
• Target sample size: 473
• Recruitment status: Recruiting
• URL: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12616000289415.aspx
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Purpose: Educational / counselling / training; Allocation: Non-randomised trial; Masking: Open (masking not used);Assignment: Single group;Type of endpoint: Efficacy;
• Phase: Not Applicable

Countries of recruitment

Australia

Contacts

• Name: Dr Alison Kennedy

• Name: Dr Alison Kennedy

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Includes adults from the rural community across Australia. Only participants who self- identify as having a lived experience of suicide (attempted suicide, been bereaved by suicide, cared for someone who has attempted suicide, personally experienced suicidal thoughts, or have been touched by suicide in another way) will be included in the intervention, as our preliminary results indicate these are the highest risk group for heightened self-stigma and perceived-stigma.
Exclusion criteria: Males and females below the age of 18 are excluded.

Although not excluded from the intervention, females and all males who are between 18 and 30 years or older than 64 years will not be the primary focus of the intervention and will be included in secondary data analysis.



Age minimum: 18 Years
Age maximum: 64 Years
Gender: Males

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Mental health;Suicide;
Mental health
Suicide

Mental Health - Suicide

Intervention(s)

The Ripple Effect involves the development of a sustained, flexible and planned digital intervention, implemented at a local population level, to prompt change across the knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural components of self-stigma and perceived-stigma experienced by males aged 30-64 years from the community of farming with a personal experience of suicide. In recognising that suicide affects a broad range of the population, no adult will be excluded from participating in the Ripple Effect, However, the male target group will be the primary focus.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT DEVELOPMENT TEAM

The Ripple Effect has been developed by the National Centre for Farmer Health, Deakin University, the Victorian Farmers Federation, AgChatOZ, the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland, Sandpit and Western District Health Service. The development of the Ripple Effect has been guided by a Steering Group comprising 15 health professionals (psychologists, social workers, nurses), researchers (specialising in farmer health and behavioural science), farming industry professionals, digital designers, stigma experts and farming community members with an experience of suicide. All content has been reviewed by a psychologist.

The Chief Investigator of the Ripple Effect is Associate Professor Dr Susan Brumby, Director of the National Centre for Farmer Health (Ph D, RN. RM., Dip Farm. M’Ment, Grad Dip Women’s Studies, Master Health Management, Certificate IV (Workplace training and assessment) MRCNA, ACHSE, ARLF). Dr Brumby has 0ver 30 years experience in rural health and wellbeing.

The Ripple Effect Research Fellow and Senior Investigator, Alison Kennedy (PhD, BBSc(Honours), PostGradDip(Criminology)) has six years of experience in rural mental health.

THE

Primary Outcome(s)

Level of perceived-stigma relative to an experience of suicide. Perceived-stigma will be measured using an adapted short-form of the Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) (Batterham, Callear and Christensen, 2013). This measure will be completed by all participants.[Pre-intervention: Immediately following registration on the Ripple Effect website.
Post-intervention: Upon completion of all of the Ripple Effect website core content. ]

Level of self-stigma relative to an experience of suicide. Self-stigma will be measured using an adapted short-form of the Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) (Batterham, Callear and Christensen, 2013). This measure will be restricted to those participants who report an experience of suicide involving their own suicidal thoughts or behaviours.[Pre-intervention: Immediately following registration on the Ripple Effect website.
Post-intervention: Upon completion of all of the Ripple Effect website core content.

Participants who begin the intervention but do not complete the core component will also be asked to complete an exit SOSS (short form) after 12 weeks from initial completion of the SOSS and LOSS. ]

Secondary Outcome(s)

Suicide literacy will be measured using the Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS) (Batterham, Callear and Christensen, 2013). This measure will be completed by all participants.[Pre-intervention: Immediately following registration on the Ripple Effect website.
Post-intervention: Upon completion of all of the Ripple Effect website core content.

Participants who begin the intervention but do not complete the core component will also be asked to complete an exit LOSS after 12 weeks from initial completion of the SOSS and LOSS. ]

Secondary ID(s)

None

Source(s) of Monetary Support

beyondblue

Secondary Sponsor(s)

AgChatOZ

Mental Illness Fellowship North Queensland

Sandpit

Victorian Farmers Federation

Western District Health Service

Ethics review

Status: Approved
Approval date:
Contact:

Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC)