How pandemic disruptions to friendships and social life affected teens' brains and emotions
Official title: Effects of pandemic-related disruption to social connectedness on the brain and emotional wellbeing in adolescents
Funded at Laureate Institute for Brain Research · NIH-11240278 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how COVID-related changes in friendships and social contact affected teenagers' brain development and emotional well-being using data collected before, during, and after the pandemic.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Laureate Institute for Brain Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tulsa, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $756,069 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH128959-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11240278 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Teenagers roughly aged 12–20 who experienced changes in social contact or routines during the COVID pandemic (especially ABCD study participants) would be the main focus.
✕Less likely to help
Younger children, adults, or teens whose concerns are unrelated to social connectedness or who did not experience pandemic-related social changes are less likely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you're a teen or parent, this work uses long-term data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to compare brain scans, surveys, and location-based measures from before, during, and after the pandemic. Researchers link changes in social connectedness (like school closures or reduced time with friends) to emotional symptoms and brain development over time. They also look for pre-existing social or biological factors that made some teens more sensitive to those disruptions. The goal is to understand who struggled most and why so we can better support teens after major social interruptions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: The findings could help identify teens at higher risk for lasting emotional or brain-development effects after social disruption and guide targeted supports or interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown links between isolation and mood symptoms and some ABCD analyses examined pandemic impacts, but combining long-term brain imaging, surveys, and geolocation data for this question is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Laureate Institute for Brain Research
Tulsa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fan, Chun Chieh — Laureate Institute for Brain Research
- Study coordinator: Fan, Chun Chieh
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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.