About this code
This repository contains the files corresponding to the after-study analysis for TESP, including the documentation and scripts describing the processing and curation of MRT data.
TESP is a mobile health, text-based just-in-time adaptive intervention to support parents of adolescents with a recent suicidal event by assisting parents with reducing their stress and improving their affect, both in-the-moment and as self-reported by parents.
How can a behavioral scientist use this code?
This code repository provides behavioral scientists with practical tools to understand, process, and analyze data collected from a micro-randomized trial (MRT) in a just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI). By following the scripts and documentation, scientists can learn how to prepare and curate intensive longitudinal data, manage the complexities of momentary self-reports, and structure their analyses to evaluate intervention effectiveness. The provided materials offer a concrete example for those planning similar studies, facilitating methodological rigor and reproducibility in behavioral intervention research.
Abstract & References
As a leading cause of death among youth, suicide rates have increased 57% in recent years. [1] The period following emergency department (ED) discharge is associated with recurrence in suicidal crises, including return visits and suicide attempts. [2] Parents are critical in supporting youth, including attending to suicide warning signs, ensuring lethal means restriction and facilitating treatment access, [3] but are often distressed [4] and report low confidence in engaging in these recommended suicidal prevention activities. [5] TESP, developed with input from caregivers, is a
text-based intervention for caregivers that was designed to encourage parental provision of post-discharge support for the adolescent (adolescent-centered component), while also intended to increase parents’ own wellbeing (parent-centered component). For the latter, a pilot micro-
randomized trial (MRT) was used to examine the impact of providing parent-centered texts on proximal outcomes of parents’ stress and affect. Documentation and code files related to the pilot MRT are presented in this GitHub repository, which may serve as a useful reference for other
pilot trials in related research areas.
References:
1. SC Curtin, M Heron, CDC, NCHS Data Brief, No. 352 (2019)
2. AG Horwitz, EK Czyz, CA King, J Clin Child AdolescPsychol, 44:5, 751–761 (2015).
3. C Ewell Foster, C Magness, E Czyz, et al. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev, 53, 1240–1251
(2022).
4. AE Arbuthnott, SP Lewis, Child AdolescPsychiatry MentHealth, 9, 1–20 (2015).
5. EK Czyz, AG Horwitz, CE Yeguez, CJ Ewell Foster, CA King, J Clin Child
AdolescPsychol,47:sup1, S384–S396 (2018).