Mental health screening after mild brain injury in teens

RFA-CE-23-008, Development of a Mental health Outcomes Screening Tool (MOST) after mild TBI in adolescents: The MOST-mTBI study

NIH-funded research Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11252765

This project will develop and try a short screening tool to find anxiety, depression, or other mental health needs in teenagers after a mild traumatic brain injury (concussion).

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionCincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Cincinnati, United States)
Project IDNIH-11252765 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you'll be asked to complete brief questionnaires about mood, sleep, and behavior after a concussion and allow researchers to review parts of your medical record. The team will combine your answers with clinical information to build and test a simple checklist clinicians can use during follow-up visits or ER care. The tool will be refined so it is quick to use, geared toward teens, and compared to standard clinical measures. Participation may include a few clinic visits or remote surveys over weeks to months so the tool can be checked for accuracy.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents who recently experienced a mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) and are seen in pediatric clinics or emergency departments.

Not a fit: Adults, people with moderate-to-severe brain injuries, or those long past their injury may not benefit from this specific screening effort.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the screening tool could help clinicians spot mental health problems earlier and connect teens to help sooner.

How similar studies have performed: Some concussion symptom checklists exist, but tailored, brief mental-health screening tools for adolescents after mild TBI are limited and this approach is relatively novel.

Where this research is happening

Cincinnati, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.