Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded McLean Hospital a $193,320 project grant on February 18, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to conduct a K23 mentored research study examining online social networking (OSN) mechanisms related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. The research will establish objective, ecologically valid assessments of interpersonal behavior through collection and analysis of one month of active and passive OSN data (texting, posting frequency, app usage patterns) from 84 adolescents aged 13-17 with the full range of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Multimodal data collection will incorporate smartphone-derived OSN metrics alongside self-report, parent, and clinician assessments, with analysis conducted using structural equation modeling and other advanced statistical approaches to identify mediating psychosocial factors and biological variables.

The award supports the candidate's training and mentorship in three core competency areas: (1) use of OSN as a real-world assessment tool for interpersonal functioning in adolescents, (2) developing expertise in the relationship between suicidal thoughts/behaviors and OSN engagement, and (3) gaining technical proficiency in multimodal data analysis methods. The project extends through January 31, 2031, and will be conducted at McLean Hospital's research facilities in Belmont, Massachusetts, with oversight by a multidisciplinary mentor team providing expertise in adolescent development and suicide risk assessment.