How family wealth affects teen behavior
A Different Type of Economic Fragility: Wealth and Adolescent Problem Behavior
This project follows teens and their families to learn how family wealth and income changes relate to teen problem behaviors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294155 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will enroll about 750 teens ages 13–15 and their caregivers from racially and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Families will provide detailed financial information (assets, debts, and income) and teens will complete repeated surveys about behavior, emotions, and development over multiple visits. The team will collect nine observations per participant over time to track wealth, income volatility, and changes in behavior. Analyses will test pathways linking wealth and income patterns to problem behaviors while accounting for race, ethnicity, and other family factors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are teens aged 13–15 and their caregivers who are willing to share household financial information and complete repeated behavioral and development questionnaires.
Not a fit: Younger children, teens outside the 13–15 age range, adults, or families unwilling to provide financial or behavioral information would not be included and so would not directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal how wealth gaps contribute to teen mental and behavioral problems and guide policies or programs to better support families and youth.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked income poverty to teen behavior, but large longitudinal work focused specifically on household wealth is uncommon, making this approach relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Miller, Portia — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Miller, Portia
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 below.