Brief online support to help caregivers connect young children to early mental health care
Official title: Adapting and testing an adjunctive, digital single-session intervention to increase caregiver adoption of early childhood mental health preventive services
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11192319 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A short web session to help parents and caregivers of young children feel more confident and follow through with recommended mental health care after a pediatric screening.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 12, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $156,906 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MH132502-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192319 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Caregivers of children aged 0–11 who screen positive for mental health risk at pediatric well visits and who can access an online session are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
Families without a positive mental health screen, those without reliable internet access, or children who need immediate intensive psychiatric care are less likely to benefit from a brief online session.
What this research studies
You or your child's caregiver would be offered a short, web-based single-session intervention after a positive mental health screen at a pediatric visit. The program is developed with community partners to match caregiver preferences and address common concerns that keep families from seeking help. It uses decision tools and brief exercises to build confidence, shift beliefs about treatment, and point families to local or primary care-based supports. The study will track whether more families link to follow-up mental health services after using the online session.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, caregivers may be more likely to accept and access recommended mental health supports for their young children earlier.
How similar studies have gone: Previous digital single-session interventions have shown promise in improving caregiver receptivity and linkage to care, though applying them broadly in pediatric primary care for early childhood is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schleider, Jessica Lee — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Schleider, Jessica Lee
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.