Observational StudyIn-Home Sleep Monitoring to Detect Suicide Risk in Veterans

This research will assess the ability of nightly objective sleep scheduling and sleep heart rate data to predict variation in suicidal ideation in U.S. military veterans identified as high-risk according to actuarial and/or clinical indicators. These data will be recorded using one of two low-cost, commercial, zero-burden, mattress actigraphic systems that enable remote, centralized, data access. Participants will be veterans accrued both from the REACH VET and local high-risk lists, a process involving collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the VA Palo Alto HCS. In order to minimize burden, participants will be screened by telephone, consented by mail and telephone, administered a brief admission psychometric interview by telephone, and mailed a sleep sensor system and instructions for its installation in their home. Once sleep data collection has commenced, a trained interviewer will contact the participant by telephone weekly and administer the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Data collection will continue for three months. The study targets a sample of 40 veterans. Longitudinal mixed effects modeling will be employed to determine whether changes in sleep scheduling and sleep heart rate predict changes in suicidal ideation.