Improving the prospective prediction of a near-term suicide attempt in veterans at risk for suicide, using a go/no-go task
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive testing may advance the goal of predicting near-term suicide risk. The current study examined whether performance on a Go/No-go (GNG) task, and computational modeling to extract latent cognitive variables, could enhance prediction of suicide attempts within next 90 days, among individuals at high-risk for suicide. METHOD: 136 Veterans at high-risk for suicide previously completed a computer-based GNG task requiring rapid responding (Go) to target stimuli, while withholding responses (No-go) to infrequent foil stimuli; behavioral variables included false alarms to foils (failure to inhibit) and missed responses to targets. We conducted a secondary analysis of these data, with outcomes defined as actual suicide attempt (ASA), other suicide-related event (OtherSE) such as interrupted/aborted attempt or preparatory behavior, or neither (noSE), within 90-days after GNG testing, to examine whether GNG variables could improve ASA prediction over standard clinical variables. A computational model (linear ballistic accumulator, LBA) was also applied, to elucidate cognitive mechanisms underlying group differences. RESULTS: On GNG, increased miss rate selectively predicted ASA, while increased false alarm rate predicted OtherSE (without ASA) within the 90-day follow-up window. In LBA modeling, ASA (but not OtherSE) was associated with decreases in decisional efficiency to targets, suggesting differences in the evidence accumulation process were specifically associated with upcoming ASA. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that GNG may improve prediction of near-term suicide risk, with distinct behavioral patterns in those who will attempt suicide within the next 90 days. Computational modeling suggests qualitative differences in cognition in individuals at near-term risk of suicide attempt.
Source: Psychological Medicine
Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange VA Medical Center, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, William Paterson University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, University of Colorado Anschutz, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Veterans Health Administration, Indiana University School of Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,255
OpenAlex ID: W4288077481