Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded the University of Pittsburgh a $437,250 Project Grant under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to conduct a longitudinal feasibility study examining the association between childhood gender nonconformity (GNC) and early indicators of risk for suicidal behavior. The award, obligated on June 5, 2026, with a completion date of May 31, 2028, will generate research data and findings addressing a critical gap in the literature on suicide prevention among youth. The study will enroll children ages 7-10 enriched for GNC and collect comprehensive data on psychosocial stressors, biological dysregulation (particularly in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and inflammatory pathways), psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms, neurocognitive correlates of suicidal risk, and suicidal ideation. This feasibility study will establish whether GNC represents a valuable early developmental indicator for identifying children at elevated future risk for suicidal behavior.

The research will produce peer-reviewed publications, datasets, and mechanistic insights into how early psychosocial stressors and biological dysregulation associated with GNC may contribute to psychiatric symptoms and increased suicide risk during adolescence. By identifying earlier developmental risk markers through rigorous longitudinal investigation, the study aims to support the development of evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies to reduce suicide—a leading cause of death among adolescents—and advance the NIMH mission of transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illness through research.