Safety planning interventions to address suicidality in adults: a protocol for a systematic review of the literature

Introduction Suicide is a significant public health issue worldwide. Many deaths by suicide occur in moments of crisis. Therefore, interventions which support individuals to manage moments of acute distress are needed. Safety Planning Interventions (SPI) are a group of brief interventions which aim to reduce imminent risk of suicide through the collaborative creation of a written set of coping strategies a person can use when suicidal ideation and/ or urges occur. A number of studies, including systematic reviews, have supported the efficacy of SPIs in reducing suicidal behaviour, and sometimes ideation. However, there is notable heterogeneity in SPI effectiveness research. Our review aims to synthesise and critically examine the methodological characteristics of research on SPI effectiveness and to provide recommendations for the reporting of future research. Method and analysis A predetermined search strategy will be used to search six electronic databases. Eligible studies will examine the effectiveness of SPIs for suicidality in adults aged 18+. There will be no restrictions to inclusion based on study design, study setting and participant characteristics. Two independent reviewers will perform study selection, data extraction and quality assessment. Disagreements between reviewers will be resolved by a third reviewer. Data gathered will include study design, participant characteristics, study setting, type of SPI delivered, theoretical approach used to guide research, outcomes measured and results reported. A narrative synthesis of the methodological characteristics of the included studies will be provided. Recommendations for the development and reporting of future research will be provided. Reporting of the review will be informed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidance. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required as no original data will be collected. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.