How worries about rejection affect mental health in LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults
Official title: A longitudinal and experience sampling investigation of rejection sensitivity and its role in sexual minority adolescents' mental health
Funded at Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci · NIH-11055351 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will follow sexual minority teens and young adults and use short, real-time smartphone prompts to learn how expecting or feeling rejection links to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (North Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $730,806 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH130375-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11055351 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Sexual minority adolescents and young adults who identify as LGBTQ+, are in the teen to young-adult age range, and are willing to complete repeated surveys and brief smartphone prompts.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not sexual minorities, cannot use a smartphone or prefer not to complete frequent surveys, or who need immediate clinical treatment may not benefit directly from participating.
What this research studies
You would be invited to take part in a multi-year project that follows sexual minority adolescents and young adults and asks them about their feelings and social experiences over time. The team will use regular questionnaires and short, momentary smartphone surveys to capture expectations of rejection, emotions in the moment, and mood symptoms. They will look at how patterns of expecting or perceiving rejection relate to depression, anxiety, and self-harm risk and whether certain supports or coping skills help. Findings aim to clarify what leads to worse mental health and what might protect LGBTQ+ youth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify early warning signs and inform ways to prevent or reduce depression and suicidality among LGBTQ+ youth.
How similar studies have gone: Work in adults has linked rejection sensitivity to mental health problems, but longitudinal and real-time (experience sampling) work in adolescents is limited, so this approach is relatively novel for youth.
Where this research is happening
-
Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci
North Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Feinstein, Brian — Rosalind Franklin Univ of Medicine & Sci
- Study coordinator: Feinstein, Brian
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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.