R01MH129457

Towards a reliable and valid assessment of preteen suicidal thoughts and behavior - project summary.

The preteen years are a critical period in which to study the development of suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB). During this period, youth experience changes in emotion regulation and develop cognitive capacities that include an emerging understanding of the permanence of death, which in turn affect the expression of STB.

However, as noted in the 2021 NIMH-sponsored research round table series: Risk, Resilience, and Trajectories in Preteen Suicide, research on preteen STB has been hindered by the field's failure to focus on an accurate, and thorough, assessment of STB in this age group.

This application seeks to develop and test a comprehensive approach to the assessment of preteen STB that includes child and parent/guardian self-report, clinician interviews, an Implicit Association Test, a death understanding interview, and observational measures.

In order to address this question, this application will examine both concurrent and predictive validity of the assessment approach in preteens receiving intensive psychiatric services (inpatient or partial hospitalization) who have a range of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as a range of STB.

We will recruit 360 preteens at Bradley Hospital/Brown Medical School and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, ensuring a diverse sample of children.

In addition to refining the assessment of preteen STB, we will also: 1) conduct a thorough clinical assessment of related symptomatology to better inform clinical practice, and 2) examine mechanisms hypothesized to underlie preteen STB, using an RDOC-informed approach.

We will also examine which co-occurring symptoms and mechanisms significantly improve predictive validity for adverse clinical STB outcomes above that of the STB assessment alone.

This assessment approach is innovative in that it is the first study to develop a multi-modal, multi-informant assessment approach for preteen STB including use of real-time observational strategies, as well as an Implicit Association Test.

This is significant because we are studying the most high-risk population of preteens with STB and we will be able to delineate mechanisms related to preteen STB.

This work addresses: NIMH strategic objective 2.1.B "Characterize the emergence and progression of mental illnesses", 2.2.A "Determining early risk and protective factors and related mechanisms", and 2.2.B "Developing reliable and robust biomarkers and assessment tools to predict illness onset, and course, across diverse populations".

Brown University

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH (NIMH) IS TO TRANSFORM THE UNDERSTANDING AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESSES THROUGH BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH, PAVING THE WAY FOR PREVENTION, RECOVERY, AND CURE. WE FULFILL THIS MISSION BY SUPPORTING AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON MENTAL ILLNESSES, HEALTH SERVICES, AND THE UNDERLYING BASIC SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR; SUPPORTING THE TRAINING OF SCIENTISTS TO CARRY OUT BASIC AND CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH; AND COMMUNICATING WITH SCIENTISTS, PATIENTS, PROVIDERS, AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH ADVANCES AND PRIORITIES. IN MAY 2024, NIMH RELEASED ITS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH. THE STRATEGIC PLAN BUILDS ON THE SUCCESSES OF PREVIOUS NIMH STRATEGIC PLANS BY PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION, AND ADDRESSING NEW CHALLENGES IN MENTAL HEALTH.THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN OUTLINES FOUR HIGH-LEVEL GOALS: GOAL 1: DEFINE THE BRAIN MECHANISMS UNDERLYING COMPLEX BEHAVIORS GOAL 2: EXAMINE MENTAL ILLNESS TRAJECTORIES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN GOAL 3: STRIVE FOR PREVENTION AND CURES GOAL 4: STRENGTHEN THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF NIMH-SUPPORTED RESEARCH THESE FOUR GOALS FORM A BROAD ROADMAP FOR THE INSTITUTES RESEARCH PRIORITIES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, BEGINNING WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, AND EXTENDING THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED SERVICES THAT IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES.

93.242 - Mental Health Research Grants

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) [HHS - NIH]

Providence, Rhode Island 029120001 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 104% from $1,584,690 to $3,237,170.