How friendships, brain changes, and hormones shape girls' mental health during adolescence
A prospective longitudinal study of transactional associations between social, neural, and hormonal changes and adolescent girls' mental health trajectories
Following adolescent girls over time to see how friendships, brain development, and hormones relate to changes in anxiety, depression, and self-harm.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oregon NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Eugene, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11323152 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be followed across several years during adolescence with regular check-ins about mood and friendships, daily or short-term reports, biological samples for hormones, and brain imaging at key time points. The team links social experiences and biological changes to track how emotional problems start, persist, or get better from days to years. By collecting multiple types of data from the same girls, researchers aim to understand who is most likely to struggle and why. Some parts of the work (like surveys) may be done remotely while hormone samples and MRI scans require in-person visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adolescent girls around the pubertal years (roughly ages 10 through late teens) who can attend study visits and are willing to provide surveys, brief daily reports, biological samples, and possibly MRI scans.
Not a fit: Boys, adults, or people unable to travel to the study site are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify early warning signs and targets for preventing lasting anxiety and depression in adolescent girls.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has linked puberty, brain development, and peer relationships to mood problems, but this long-term, multi-measure approach is more comprehensive and somewhat novel.
Where this research is happening
Eugene, United States
- University of Oregon — Eugene, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pfeifer, Jennifer Hope — University of Oregon
- Study coordinator: Pfeifer, Jennifer Hope
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.