Making early mental health screening safer for young children
Anticipating and evaluating unintended consequences to center ethical implementation in pediatric mental health prevention
This project will work with families and clinics to spot and prevent possible harms that could come from screening and early mental health programs for young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11192326 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a parent's perspective, the team partners with clinics, caregivers, and community organizations to watch how toddler and young-child mental health screening and prevention programs are used in everyday care. They identify possible harms or unfair effects—such as stigma, inappropriate labeling, or missed social needs—and design ways to reduce those risks. The project gathers input from families, examines program delivery and records, and tests ethical safeguards across sites in the Mental Health, Earlier (MHE) Center. The overall aim is to help early mental health efforts improve children's outcomes without creating new problems for families.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are families with young children (infants through preadolescents) who are receiving or eligible for early mental health screening or prevention services at participating clinics.
Not a fit: Families who are not involved with early mental health screening programs or who live outside participating sites are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make early mental health screening and prevention safer and more equitable for toddlers and their families.
How similar studies have performed: Related work on implementation ethics and screening has provided useful lessons, but prospectively targeting unintended harms across multiple sites in pediatric prevention is a relatively new and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beidas, Rinad Sary — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Beidas, Rinad Sary
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.