Saskia Y M Mérelle

• PhD
• Senior Researcher at 113 Suicide prevention

Objective: Problematic video-gaming or social media use may seriously affect adolescents’ health status. However, it is not very well known which health-related problems are most strongly related to these issues. To inform the development of prevention and intervention strategies, this study aims to gain a better understanding of the health-related...

Background while there are many benefits for young people to use social media, adverse effects such as cyberbullying, online challenges, social comparison and imitation may provoke and aggravate suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The influence of social media on mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviours has been amply studied, but there is l...

Background Suicide attempts have a profound emotional impact on both individuals and society as a whole. This qualitative study delves into three key aspects: 1) the progression through the suicidal process, 2) the influential factors facilitating the transition from ideation to attempt using the volitional moderators within the integrated motivati...

Background Worldwide, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults. Given that suicide in this age group is common within vocational students, this study aims to provide insights into the prevalence, course, and risk factors of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) among students in vocational educatio...

Background Psychosocial autopsy is a retrospective study of suicide, aimed to identify emerging themes and psychosocial risk factors. It typically relies heavily on qualitative data from interviews or medical documentation. However, qualitative research has often been scrutinized for being prone to bias and is notoriously time- and cost-intensive....

Importance In the Netherlands, a growing group of young people request medical assistance in dying based on psychiatric suffering (MAID-PS). Little is known about this group, their characteristics, and outcomes. Objective To assess the proportion of requests for and deaths by MAID-PS among young patients, outcomes of their application and assessme...

Background Sociodemographic characteristics of suicides are available from Statistics Netherlands. To improve suicide prevention, it is not only necessary to know who dies but also why people die. A psychosocial autopsy was conducted in the Netherlands to investigate differences in psychosocial characteristics and precipitating factors of suicides...

Background Psychological autopsy is essential to establish theories, explore trends and identify previously unexplored psychosocial risk factors in suicide research. However, qualitative research has been scrutinized for being prone to interpretation bias, problems with accuracy, challenges to reproducibility, and is very time- and cost intensive....

Background Every month, around 3800 people complete an anonymous self-test for suicidal thoughts on the website of the Dutch suicide prevention helpline. Although 70% score high on the severity of suicidal thoughts, <10% navigate to the web page about contacting the helpline. Objective This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a brief barrier...

With the rise of computer science and artificial intelligence, analyzing large data sets promises enormous potential in gaining insights for developing and improving evidence-based health interventions. One such intervention is the counseling strategy motivational interviewing (MI), which has been found effective in improving a wide range of health...

Introduction Suicide rates among adolescents and young people are increasing, especially in Western countries. Suicidal ideation often precedes suicide attempts and suicide. Yet, research involving individuals with lived experience in suicide prevention, especially among young adults, remains scarce. Understanding their needs is crucial for effecti...

Strong Teens and Resilient Minds (STORM) is a multimodal, school-based approach for depression and suicide prevention in adolescents that is currently implemented in a region in the Netherlands. The STORM approach will be implemented in new regions in the coming years. This study used the implementation mapping protocol to report on the development...

Background A strong increase in mental health emergency consultations and admissions in youths has been reported in recent years. Although empirical evidence is lacking, gender differences in risk of admission may have contributed to this increase. A clearer understanding of the relationship, if any, between gender and various aspects of (in)volunt...

Background Railway suicide has profound implications for the victims and their family, and affects train drivers, railway personnel, emergency services and witnesses. To inform a multilevel prevention strategy, more knowledge is required about psychosocial and precipitating risk factors of railway suicide. Methods Data from Statistics Netherlands...

BACKGROUND To provide optimal care in a suicide prevention helpline, it is important to know what contributes to positive or negative effects on help seekers. Helplines can often be contacted through chat services, which produce large amounts of text data, to use in large-scale analysis. OBJECTIVE We trained a machine learning classification model...

Background For the provision of optimal care in a suicide prevention helpline, it is important to know what contributes to positive or negative effects on help seekers. Helplines can often be contacted through text-based chat services, which produce large amounts of text data for use in large-scale analysis. Objective We trained a machine learning...

Objective To identify the incidence and characteristics of maternal suicide. Design Nationwide population‐based cohort study. Setting The Netherlands, 2006–2020. Population Women who died during pregnancy or within 1 year postpartum, and a reference population of women aged 25–45 years. Methods The Cause of Death Register and Medical Birth Regi...

Suicidal behaviour in adolescents is a major public health problem. Much research on this issue has focused on epidemiology and risk factors for suicidal behaviour, paying less attention to the self-perceived needs of adolescents. However, to increase engagement in suicide prevention, it is important to include the views of adolescents. A scoping r...

Background Around 700,000 people die by suicide each year. While the global number of suicides declined over the last decade, the rates remained unchanged in the Netherlands. With this study, we aimed to provide guiding principles for the implementation of a national standardized psychological autopsy to better understand and prevent suicide, by ex...

BACKGROUND With the rise of computer science and artificial intelligence, analyzing large data sets promises enormous potential in gaining insights for developing and improving evidence-based health interventions. One such intervention is the counseling strategy motivational interviewing (MI), which has been found effective in improving a wide rang...

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Patients with suicidal behaviour are frequently seen in A&E departments. Providing care for this patient group can be challenging and medical staff have often not received specialized training to improve their knowledge and skills. An empathetic approach combined with brief interventions such as safety planning, collaborating with carers and partne...

Samenvatting Inleiding In Nederland betreft 31% van de suïcides op het spoor een jong persoon (tot 30 jaar). Jongeren zijn wellicht oververtegenwoordigd omdat zij impulsiever kunnen handelen en minder toegang hebben tot andere dodelijke middelen. Omdat het aantal suïcides onder jongeren stijgt, heeft dit onderzoek als doel om inzicht te krijgen in...

Background Each year, many help seekers in need contact health helplines for mental support. It is crucial that they receive support immediately, and that waiting times are minimal. In order to minimize delay, helplines must have adequate staffing levels, especially during peak hours. This has raised the need for means to predict the call and chat...

Background: Globally, suicide is among the leading causes of death, with men being more at risk to die from suicide than women. Research suggests that people with suicidal ideation often struggle to find adequate help. Every month, around 4000 people fill in the anonymous self-test for suicidal thoughts on the website of the Dutch suicide preventi...

BACKGROUND Globally, suicide is among the leading causes of death, with men being more at risk to die from suicide than women. Research suggests that people with suicidal ideation often struggle to find adequate help. Every month, around 4000 people fill in the anonymous self-test for suicidal thoughts on the website of the Dutch suicide prevention...

Background Each year, many help seekers in need contact health helplines for mental support. For this, it is crucial that they receive support immediately, and that waiting times are minimal. In order to minimize delay, it is necessary that helplines have adequate staffing levels, especially during peak hours. This has raised the need for means to...

Background: Although the number of suicides did not increase in 2020, there are concerns about the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: To present the demand for the Dutch suicide prevention helpline during times of lockdown and to describe the coronavirus-related problems discussed. Methods: An observational and exploratory s...

Suïcide is op dit moment de meest voorkomende doodsoorzaak onder jongeren. Wat zijn de belangrijkste risicofactoren daarbij? De auteurs brachten het in kaart aan de hand van en ‘psychosociale autopsie’: een onderzoek waarvoor ze ouders, vrienden, leerkrachten en hulpverleners van de overleden jongeren interviewden. Hieronder een samenvatting van hu...

Objective To examine whether the outcomes of a chat-based suicide-prevention helpline could be improved by training counselors in motivational interviewing (MI).Methods In a pre- and post-test design, visitors of a chat-based suicide prevention helpline received either the Five-Phase Model (treatment as usual [TAU]) or MI. They completed a pre- and...

Background Preventatives measures to combat the spread of COVID− 19 have introduced social isolation, loneliness and financial stress. This study aims to identify whether the COVID-19 pandemic is related to changes in suicide-related problems for help seekers on a suicide prevention helpline. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted usin...

Background: A psychological autopsy study (Mérelle e.a. 2020) demonstrates a subgroup of female adolescents with chronic suicidal behavior and severe internalizing problems. Aim: To describe characteristics of the suicidal process and the challenges experienced in providing mental health care for this subgroup. Method: A case description and r...

Background: A psychological autopsy study (Mérelle e.a. 2020) demonstrates a subgroup of female adolescents with chronic suicidal behavior and severe internalizing problems. Aim: To describe characteristics of the suicidal process and the challenges experienced in providing mental health care for this subgroup. Method: A case description and r...

In this study, we examined the feasibility and added value of including peer informants in a psychological autopsy study of youth suicides. Peer semi-structured interview data from 16 cases were analyzed qualitatively and compared to parent data. Results show that peers added information to parents’ narratives in general and particularly on social...

Objectives There is limited insight into gender differences in suicide-related communication (SRC) in youths. SRC is defined as “the act of conveying one’s own suicide ideation, intent or behaviours to another person”. Increasing our understanding of SRC in youths will enable us to recognize and specify needs of female versus male youths. The curre...

Doel In 2017 was er een piek met 81 suïcides onder adolescenten tot 20 jaar. Psychologische autopsies werden uitgevoerd onder nabestaanden om invloedrijke factoren te identificeren en tot praktische aanbevelingen voor suïcidepreventie te komen. Opzet Multi-methodische psychologische autopsie met diepte-interviews en vragenlijsten. Methode Forensisc...

Background: Depressive and anxiety disorders are often associated with suicide ideation (SI) and attempt (SA). However, analyses of prevalence, course, and more specific risk mechanisms are needed to improve knowledge and detection of high risk individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders. Previous studies often lacked statistical power, asses...

Background The working environment of a suicide prevention helpline requires high emotional and cognitive awareness from chat counselors. A shared opinion among counselors is that as a chat conversation becomes more difficult, it takes more effort and a longer amount of time to compose a response, which, in turn, can lead to writer’s block. Object...

Objectives In the Netherlands, there was a sharp increase in the number of suicides among 10- to 19-year-olds in 2017. A multi-method psychological autopsy study (PA) was conducted to assess feasibility, identify related factors, and study the interplay of these factors to inform suicide prevention strategies. Methods Coroners identified youth sui...

BACKGROUND The working environment of a suicide prevention helpline requires high emotional and cognitive awareness from chat counselors. A shared opinion among counselors is that as a chat conversation becomes more difficult, it takes more effort and a longer amount of time to compose a response, which, in turn, can lead to writer’s block. OBJECT...

In 2000 to 2016 the highest number of suicides among Dutch youths under 20 in any given year was 58 in 2013. In 2017 this number increased to 81 youth suicides. To get more insight in what types of youths died by suicide, particularly in recent years (2013–2017) we looked at micro-data of Statistics Netherlands and counted suicides among youths til...

Background: Online forums that enable peer-to-peer interaction are widespread and readily available. Aim: This study aimed to identify the reach, benefits, and potential harmful effects for visitors to an online forum embedded in a suicide prevention platform in The Netherlands. Method: The study collected web-based questionnaires from online forum...

Samenvatting Doel Onderzoek naar knelpunten in de zorg voor patiënten die na een suïcidepoging op de SEH komen. Opzet Transversaal multicentrisch vragenlijstonderzoek. Methode In 2015 werkten 7 SEH's verspreid over het land mee aan een vragenlijstonderzoek van 113 Zelfmoordpreventie voor de 'Landelijke agenda suïcidepreventie 2014-2017'. SEH-artsen...

Objective: To examine issues in care for patients who come to the emergency department after a suicide attempt. Design: Cross-sectional multicentre questionnaire survey. Method: In 2015, 7 emergency departments across the Netherlands participated in a questionnaire survey of the 113 Suicide Prevention (113 Zelfmoordpreventie) service as a part...

Suicide prevention efforts often depend on the willingness or ability of people to disclose current suicidal behavior. The aim of this study is to identify characteristics that are associated with non-disclosure of suicidal ideation. Data from the Dutch cross-sectional survey Health Monitor 2016 were used, resulting in 14,322 respondents (age 19+)....

Onderzocht is of 3‑ en 4‑jarigen meer gaan lopen als hun ouders feedback krijgen over het aantal stappen met een Vivofit Activity Tracker (VAT). In een randomized controlled trial (RCT) werden kinderen aan een interventie- of controlegroep toegewezen. In de interventiegroep was de VAT in de 1e week afgeplakt met tape, in de 2e en 3e week was het aa...

Background: Need for help is perceived as an important first step towards weight related health-care use among overweight and obese individuals and several studies have reported gender as an important predisposing characteristic of need for help. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to gain insight into factors that might determine need for...

Background Children’s activity level, including physical activity (PA) and screen sedentary time (SST), is influenced by environmental factors in which parents play a critical role. Different types of parenting styles may influence children’s activity level. Inconsistent results were found on the association between parenting styles and PA, and few...

Objective: To examine the associations between parental feeding styles and children's dietary intakes and the modifying effect of maternal education and children's ethnicity on these associations. Design: Cross-sectional study of parental feeding styles, assessed by the Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire, and children's dietary intakes. Multip...

The European Alliance against Depression (EAAD) program is to be introduced in The Netherlands from 2017 onwards. This program to combat suicide consists of interventions on four levels: (1) increasing the awareness of suicide by local media campaigns; (2) training local gatekeepers, such as teachers or police officers; (3) targeting high-risk pers...

Aanpak en cijfers voor suïcidepreventie in regio Kennemerland door GGD Kennemerland en samen Voor Betere Zorg (VBZ) i.s.m. 113 Zelfmoordpreventie.

More control over migraine 6 months after the behavioural self-management training by lay trainers with migraine Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for migraine many patients do not seek medical treatment. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the changes at 6-month follow-up after a behavioural self-management training...

Behavioral migraine approaches are effective in reducing headache attacks. Availability of treatment might be increased by using migraine patients as trainers. Therefore, Mérelle and colleagues developed and evaluated a home-based behavioral management training (BMT) by lay trainers (1). The maintenance of effects at long-term follow-up is studied...

Migraine is a chronic brain disorder, characterized by attacks of severe headache accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light, sound and smell. Attacks can be preceded by premonitory symptoms such as fatigue, muscular stiff ness or negative aff ect. It has been shown that cortical spreading depression, the trigeminovascular system and...

Background: Behavioral migraine approaches are effective in reducing headache attacks. Availability of treatment might be increased by using migraine patients as trainers. Therefore, Mérelle and colleagues developed and evaluated a home-based behavioral management training (BMT) by lay trainers (1). The maintenance of effects at long-term follow-up...

To evaluate the qualities of lay trainers with migraine and to quantify their self-management results. Little is known about the qualities of lay trainers with chronic diseases and the benefits for their own health. Thirteen lay trainers (12 F, 1 M) completed a 3-step program that consisted of self-experience of a behavioral training (BT), providin...

Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for migraine many patients do not seek medical treatment. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the changes at 6-month follow-up after a behavioural self-management training (SMT) provided by lay trainers with migraine to small groups at home. We previously demonstrated in a RCT the shor...

There were two objectives of this research. First was to establish the utility of online digital assistance (ODA), a generic software-based method designed to support behavioral training (BT) in migraine. The second was to test whether ODA can produce additional effects in BT. Utility (feasibility and acceptability) was based on 44 patients with mi...

In a large retail business group the ID Migraine Screening Test was sent to employees with three or more absences from work in the past year (n = 2893). Employees with positive results were invited for a neurological consultation and migraine patients were randomly assigned to: first attack 'treated as usual' and the second attack treated with 40 m...

Migraine is a highly prevalent chronic brain disorder and is characterized by attacks of severe headache. Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for migraine patients many patients do not seek medical treatment. Thesis concerns a self-care approach for the general population. The primary aim of this thesis is to examine the effective...

To evaluate the changes at 6-month follow-up after a home-based behavioral training (BT) provided by lay trainers with migraine to small groups of fellow patients. The need for self-management programs and cost-effective treatments gave rise to this study. In a previous randomized controlled trial, we compared the BT group with a waitlist-control g...

In conformity with current views on patient empowerment, we designed and evaluated the effects of home-based behavioural training (BT) provided by lay trainers with migraine to small groups of fellow patients. The primary aims of BT were to reduce attack frequency and increase perceived control over and self-confidence in attack prevention. In a ra...

This pilot study examined the effectiveness and trainer skills of the first migraine lay trainers (MLTs). In a stepwise training program eight MLTs participated in a behavioural management training (BMT) aimed at the prevention of migraine attacks by proactive relaxation and trigger management. After successful reduction of their migraine attacks,...

This review focuses on the effectiveness of short-term behavioural interventions for treating migraine and migraine Regular with tension type headache. The databases of Pubmed and PsycINFO were used to search for studies in which types of Minimal Contact Treatment (MCT) were compared with a standard clinically-based format, pharmacological treatmen...