School and family program to support middle schoolers' mental health
Official title: Adaptive multi-tiered school-based prevention to promote youth mental health and create equitable and sustainable systems of care
Funded at University of Oregon · NIH-11332796 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A stepped school-and-family program aims to support mental health for middle school students in underserved communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oregon NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Eugene, United States) |
| Project start | May 7, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $731,182 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MH139449-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332796 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are middle school students and their caregivers from underserved communities who are experiencing or at risk for mental health difficulties.
✕Less likely to help
This program may not meet the needs of youth with severe psychiatric disorders who require specialized clinical care or people outside the middle-school age range.
What this research studies
If your child attends one of the participating middle schools, they could get classroom lessons to build emotional skills and stronger family supports. Schools are randomly assigned to either the new Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach or the usual services, and students who keep struggling will be offered extra family-focused help. The study uses an adaptive design so supports can be stepped up for non-responders, and it plans to enroll about 30 middle schools and 600 students and families over three years.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce emotional distress and improve family and school supports to help teens feel better and stay engaged.
How similar studies have gone: School- and family-based prevention programs have shown promise in improving youth mental health, while the specific adaptive (SMART) delivery approach is newer and less tested at scale.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Oregon
Eugene, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stormshak, Elizabeth a — University of Oregon
- Study coordinator: Stormshak, Elizabeth a
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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.