%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 7
%N 
%P e43526
%T Effects of Community-Based Caring Contact in Reducing Thwarted Belongingness Among Postdischarge Young Adults With Self-Harm: Randomized Controlled Trial
%A Law,Yik Wa
%A Lok,Rita Hui Ting
%A Chiang,Byron
%A Lai,Carmen Chui Shan
%A Tsui,Sik Hon Matthew
%A Chung,Pui Yin Joseph
%A Leung,Siu Chung
%+ Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, RM534, The Jockey Club Tower,, The Centennial Campus, HKU, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852 93029863, flawhk@hku.hk
%K self-harm
%K suicidal ideation
%K volunteers
%K mobile app
%K thwarted belongingness
%K suicide
%K youth
%K community
%K support
%K treatment
%K effectiveness
%K risk
%K patient
%K intervention
%K model
%K care
%K hospital
%D 2023
%7 16.8.2023
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X Background: For patients with self-harm behaviors, the urge to hurt themselves persists after hospital discharge, leading to costly readmissions and even death. Hence, postdischarge intervention programs that reduce self-harm behavior among patients should be part of a cogent community mental health care policy. Objective: We aimed to determine whether a combination of a self-help mobile app and volunteer support could complement treatment as usual (TAU) to reduce the risk of suicide among these patients. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial on discharged patients aged between 18 and 45 years with self-harm episodes/suicide attempts, all of whom were recruited from 4 hospital emergency departments in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) mobile app + TAU (“apps”), (2) mobile app + volunteer support + TAU (“volunteers”), or (3) TAU only as the control group (“TAU”). They were asked to submit a mobile app–based questionnaire during 4 measurement time points at monthly intervals. Results: A total of 40 participants were recruited. Blending volunteer care with a preprogrammed mobile app was found to be effective in improving service compliance. Drawing upon the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, our findings suggested that a reduction in perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness through community-based caring contact are linked to improvement in hopelessness, albeit a transient one, and suicide risk. Conclusions: A combination of volunteer care with a self-help mobile app as a strategy for strengthening the continuity of care can be cautiously implemented for discharged patients at risk of self-harm during the transition from the hospital to a community setting. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03081078; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03081078 
%M 37585260
%R 10.2196/43526
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e43526
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/43526
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37585260