Does extra family income improve child mental health and brain biology in low-income families?
Official title: Experimental Evidence of the Impact of Parental Income on Child Mental Health and Neuroimmune Function
Run by Northwestern University · NCT07641244 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests whether three years of extra income for parents can improve their child’s mental health and neuroimmune function.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 10 Years to 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 500 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Northwestern University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Evanston, Illinois) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 4, 2026 |
| Main results expected | August 31, 2029 |
| Study ends | August 31, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | June 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07641244 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Children aged 5–14 at the start of the intervention, whose parent participates in the Every Dollar Counts income program and who live within two hours of downtown Chicago for the imaging sub-study.
✕Probably not a fit
Children whose families do not experience the income supplement or who do not meet inclusion criteria may not experience measurable mental health or neuroimmune changes.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This interventional study leverages a double-blind randomized design to examine if substantial income supplements to families influence the child’s risk of mental illness. Researchers will look at psychological and neuroimmune outcomes in youths aged roughly 5–18 whose families are part of the income-support program, with a focus on measuring brain-based responses during fMRI tasks. The trial seeks to identify causal pathways linking family income, stress, and neuroimmune signaling that relate to anxiety, depression, and other internalizing or externalizing disorders. In-person neuroimaging is limited to families within a two-hour drive of downtown Chicago, and participation depends on enrollment of both the child and a parent in the original program. Northwestern University leads the study with collaboration from NIMH to explore policy implications of income supplementation on youth mental health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could support income-based strategies to reduce youth mental health risk and alter neuroimmune markers associated with psychiatric symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous income-support designs have shown behavioral and psychosocial effects, but this study tests causal brain-immune pathways in youth, representing a novel approach.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Child of a participant enrolled in the Every Dollar Counts intervention. Youth were between ages 5 and 14 at the start of the intervention (followed up when ages 10 to 18) * Biological parent who lives with the child must be part of the original income study * For the in-person neuroimaging subsample: family must live within a 2-hour drive of downtown Chicago Exclusion Criteria: * Youth not between ages 5 and 14 at the start of the intervention * Parent not enrolled in the Every Dollar Counts program
Where it's running
-
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Trinh L Ha
- Email: trinh.ha@northwestern.edu
- Phone: (847) 868-2409
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.