Supporting adolescent girls through family involvement to prevent mental illness.
Official title: Sibling-Support for Adolescent Girls (SSAGE): A whole-family, gendertransformative approach to preventing mental illness among forcibly displaced adolescent girls
Funded at Washington University · NIH-10730656 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is working to support young girls in Colombia who have been forced to leave their homes by involving their families, especially their brothers, in a program aimed at keeping their mental health strong and happy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $666,125 |
| NIH project number | 1R34MH134078-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10730656 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are recently displaced adolescent girls from Venezuela living in Colombia.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not forcibly displaced or who do not fall within the adolescent age range may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on helping forcibly displaced adolescent girls in Colombia by involving their families, particularly male siblings, in a program designed to prevent mental health issues. The project will adapt a curriculum through collaboration with various stakeholders, including refugees and civil society organizations, to ensure it meets the needs of the community. A randomized control trial will be conducted to test the program's effectiveness and understand how it can be implemented successfully. The goal is to create a supportive environment that promotes mental well-being among these vulnerable girls.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly reduce the incidence of mental illness among displaced adolescent girls and improve their overall mental health.
How similar studies have gone: Similar approaches have shown promise in addressing mental health issues in displaced populations, but this specific intervention is innovative and tailored to the unique challenges faced by adolescent girls.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stark, Lindsay B — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Stark, Lindsay B
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.