Parent suicidal behavior and children's early suicide risk
Effects of parental history of suicidal behavior on middle/late childhood: Longitudinal assessment of early markers of suicide risk
This project follows children aged about 7–15 to track links between a parent's history of suicidal behavior and early signs of self-harm, thinking, and emotional responses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11284022 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child joins, our family would take part in yearly visits for up to four years that include interviews, questionnaires, and tests of thinking, emotional reactivity and regulation, and self-harm thoughts or behaviors. The team combines an ongoing cohort with 300 new families for a total of 500 parent-child pairs and follows youth from mid/late-childhood into early/mid-adolescence. Children will be grouped by whether a parent has a history of suicidal behavior so researchers can compare developmental patterns across those groups, and analyses will consider sex and race. The work uses brain- and behavior-focused measures within the Research Domain Criteria framework to identify early markers that come before suicidal ideation or attempts.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children roughly 7–12 years old at first assessment (with follow-up into early adolescence) and their parent, including families with and without a parental history of suicidal behavior.
Not a fit: Adults, children outside the enrolled age range, or families unable to attend annual in-person visits are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could reveal early warning signs and targets for preventing self-harm and suicidal behavior in children and adolescents.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows parental suicidal behavior increases child risk, but few longitudinal, multi-measure studies in this age range exist, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Rochester, United States
- University of Rochester — Rochester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sheftall, Arielle Hope — University of Rochester
- Study coordinator: Sheftall, Arielle 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.