Episodic memories of 9/11 and mental health in survivors: NLP analysis of stories from teens and adults
Official title: Episodic Memories of 9/11 terror attack and Mental Health: Natural Language Processing of Adolescent and Adult Survivors' narratives (EMLAS study)
Funded at New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC · NIH-11387164 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses natural language processing to study how memories of 9/11 affect the mental health of adolescents and adults who lived through the event.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $225,752 |
| NIH project number | 5R21OH012956-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11387164 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents who were exposed to the 9/11 attacks and their caregivers or adult survivors who were affected by the event.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without 9/11 exposure or those not willing to share personal memories may not benefit.
What this research studies
If you or your child lived through 9/11 and later experiences mental health concerns, this study asks participants to share memories in stories that are analyzed with computer tools to understand how trauma appears in memory and mood. The study focuses on how memories from adolescence relate to current mental health, including anxiety and emotional regulation. By comparing memories across ages, researchers hope to identify patterns that could improve support and interventions for trauma-exposed youth and young adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how traumatic memories influence current mental health could guide personalized support for survivors and their families.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows trauma memories can influence later mental health, but this study uses NLP to analyze individual narratives across age groups, which is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cycowicz, Yael M — New York State Psychiatric Institute Dba Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, INC
- Study coordinator: Cycowicz, Yael M
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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.