Preventing adult mental health problems by supporting children with genetic risk, financial strain, and social stress
Official title: Preventing Adult Mental Health Problems from Early Childhood in the Contexts of Genetic Susceptibility, Financial Strain, and Societal Stressors
Funded at Oregon Research Institute · NIH-11285143 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether early family support and life circumstances shape mental health in young adults who grew up in low-income households, especially when genetics or financial stress raise risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $749,535 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH131670-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285143 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This work is most relevant to emerging adults who grew up in low-income families—especially those who participated in the Early Steps study or who have early-childhood and genetic information available.
✕Less likely to help
People without early-childhood records, genetic data, or whose mental health issues began solely in later life may not directly benefit from the study's findings.
What this research studies
If you were part of this work, you'd be included in the Early Steps Multisite group of 731 families recruited as toddlers from WIC centers and followed into adolescence and emerging adulthood. Half the families received a parenting support program called the Family Check-Up from age 2 to 10.5, and researchers collected surveys, neighborhood information, and genetic samples with follow-ups at ages 14, 16, and 19. Researchers will use those long-term data to link early intervention, family and neighborhood stressors, and genetic risk to mental health outcomes like anxiety, depression, suicidality, and psychosis in emerging adults. The goal is to figure out who benefits most from early supports so future programs can better prevent adult mental health problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could show which early family supports and social policies best reduce anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior, and psychosis in people who grew up with financial strain.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials of the Family Check-Up and similar early parenting programs have reduced behavior problems and improved later mental health in some groups, but combining long-term clinical outcomes with genetics and neighborhood data is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Oregon Research Institute
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Westling, Erika — Oregon Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Westling, Erika
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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.