Preventing Depression in Neurodivergent College Students
Official title: Toward the Prevention of Depression Among Neurodivergent College Students
Funded at Rowan University · NIH-11360877 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project aims to help autistic and other neurodivergent students in college stay mentally well by designing preventive care tailored to their needs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rowan University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Glassboro, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $562,666 |
| NIH project number | 1R15MH141564-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360877 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are autistic or neurodivergent college students entering their first semester at participating universities.
✕Less likely to help
Students who do not identify as neurodivergent or who do not experience depressive symptoms may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on an ongoing study of incoming neurodivergent and neurotypical students at four universities, adding more data to understand what helps or hinders mood during the first college semester. Researchers will collect additional survey data and conduct focus groups with neurodivergent students to hear directly about what contributes to depressive symptoms and barriers to getting help. They will use advanced causal-analysis methods to identify factors that cause or buffer depression, with the goal of informing practical, preventive interventions. The work emphasizes community-informed approaches to create sustainable mood-support strategies for neurodivergent students transitioning to college.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to targeted, ready-to-implement depression prevention strategies for autistic and neurodivergent students in college.
How similar studies have gone: The project builds on an ongoing cohort study; similar approaches have helped identify mood-related factors in diverse student populations, though this exact focus on neurodivergent students is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Rowan University
Glassboro, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brunwasser, Steven M. — Rowan University
- Study coordinator: Brunwasser, Steven M.
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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.