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New multi-site grant from the National Institute of Mental Health seeks to understand how stress increases risk for suicidal behavior in teens

Old Dominion 91¶ÌÊÓƵ scientists and other collaborators were awarded a four-year $3 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the risks that lead to teen suicide. , suicide is the second leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 13 to 19 and rates continue to rise. In addition to suicide death, .

Cassie Glenn, Ph.D., assistant professor of Psychology at ODU, , Ph.D., assistant professor of Psychology at Rutgers, the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ 91¶ÌÊÓƵ of New Jersey, and , Ph.D., director of Suicide Research, division of child and adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) are the recipients of the NIMH grant (; MPIs: Kleiman, Glenn, Liu). The title is ""). This multi-site project (ODU in collaboration with Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Rutgers, and MGH) will examine how interpersonal stress increases short-term risk for suicidal behavior in teenagers.

"In order to improve youth suicide prevention and treatment, research is needed to understand factors that increase suicide risk for teens," said Glenn. "One important risk factor to examine is interpersonal stress (such as relationship break-ups, arguments with family members, bullying), which has been linked to risk for suicidal behavior across the lifespan. However, far less is known about these associations in teens."

The current 4-year grant, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, will significantly extend prior research by examining how interpersonal stress (family and peer stress) increases risk for suicidal behavior among high-risk teens. Researchers are recruiting 600 teens and their parents from three diverse sites (ODU in collaboration with CHKD, Rutgers, and MGH) following discharge from acute psychiatric care for suicide risk.

"This study will utilize advances in technology—a combination of smartphone-based survey application and wrist worn sensors (like a Fitbit)—to track interpersonal stress, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and mechanisms linking stress to suicide," said Glenn. During the study, information will be provided by teens and their parents for one month. This research will significantly advance understanding of short-term risk for suicidal behavior in youth and how the field assesses and treats teens at risk for suicide.