With nearly 9 Australians dying by suicide daily and 150 attempting, the human and economic costs are staggering. Australia's National Suicide Prevention Strategy emphasizes that "People thrive when they feel included in communities, connected to others, and have a sense of belonging." The Connect Program, developed with the US Air Force (USAF), directly supports this goal by building healthy relationship networks.
Objective: Present the rationale, methodology, and outcomes of the Connect Program, an upstream universal suicide prevention intervention that aligns with the national strategy's focus on increased connection.
Methods: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 215 USAF technical training classes (N=1,897) assigned to either the Connect Program or an active control. Primary outcomes included suicide risk and depression subscales of the computerized adaptive test and military occupational impairment. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 1-month, and 6-month follow-ups, with 93% and 84% retention rates, respectively.
Results: Connect Program participants reported lower suicide risk (ES = −0.23; p = .001) and depression (ES = −0.24; p = .002) at the end of technical school. They were 50% less likely to report corrective training (OR, 0.51) and 20% less likely to report elevated depression with high probability of diagnosis at either follow-up (OR, 0.80; P = .01).
Vulnerable members with pre-existing suicide risk benefited most from the group strengths developed through the program. Social network analysis revealed a 53% average gain in valued connection nominations for at-risk Airmen (RR=1.53) in the Connect-trained group, and reduction of isolated Airmen compared to at-risk control.
Conclusion: The Connect Program offers a practical, evidence-based approach to enhance social connections and reduce suicide risk, directly supporting the goals of Australia's National Suicide Prevention Strategy. By fostering group cohesion and building healthy networks, we can create more resilient communities and contribute significantly to upstream suicide prevention. You don't have to identify risk to address risk.
We will present video footage from the program and interviews with enlisted Airmen, demonstrating the program's impact. We will discuss ongoing efforts to extend the Connect Program to operational military bases and adaptations for first responders, religious communities, and healthcare personnel.