# Social Reward Responsiveness and Interpersonal Stress as Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Sexual-and Gender-Minority Youth

> **NIH NIH F32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $76,420

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Suicidal ideation (SI) is a strong predictor of suicide–the second leading cause of death for adolescents and a
national public health priority–and occurs in a significant proportion of adolescents. Adolescents who identify
with a sexual- or gender-minority (SGM) group show even greater prevalence of SI, with approximately 74% of
SGM youth having experienced SI. Considering these high rates of SI in SGM youth, it is critical to identify
intervention targets as a first step in designing efficacious treatments to prevent death by suicide. One such
intervention target may be low reward responsiveness, which is associated with SI above and beyond the
influence of depression or anhedonia and tends to be blunted in SGM youth, particularly within social contexts.
Despite this association, no research has evaluated low social reward responsiveness as a mechanism of SI in
SGM youth. Further, no research has evaluated potential moderators, such as interpersonal stress, on the
association among low social reward responsiveness and SI in SGM youth. This is critical, as SGM youth are
at an increased risk of experiencing interpersonal stress due to experiences of stigma, prejudice, and
discrimination. The proposed project will address these gaps by testing a novel mechanism linking SGM
identity to increased SI risk and examining the moderating role of interpersonal stress, leveraging an innovative
approach with a large high-risk sample of adolescents. The proposed study will test these pathways in a
sample of 210 adolescents (aged 13-17) following discharge from acute psychiatric treatment for self-injurious
thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). Based on prior research and our own work with adolescents in partial and
inpatient treatment, we expect that ~50% of participants will hold an SGM identity. Participants will undergo an
electroencephalogram (EEG), answer self-report measures, and complete semi-structured interviews to
characterize SITB history. Acute interpersonal stressors, social support, and suicidal behavior will be assessed
using a brief daily survey for 90 days following discharge, with self-report and interview measures obtained at
3-month follow-up. Through the longitudinal collection of these data, the present study aims to (1) Examine
patterns of social reward responsiveness at the neural level in SGM youth compared to cisgender,
heterosexual youth in acute psychiatric treatment for SITBs; (2) Evaluate low social reward responsiveness as
a mechanism underlying increased SI severity in SGM youth after hospital discharge; and (3) Test
interpersonal stress as a moderator in the relation between SGM status, low social reward responsiveness,
and SI. Through support granted by this fellowship, the applicant will have the opportunity to develop advanced
EEG skills, gain a deeper understanding of risk for psychopathology and SITBs in SGM youth, acquire
proficiency in longitudinal data analysis, and receive individualized mentorship in grant...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11066659
- **Project number:** 1F32MH137993-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Corinne Carlton-Smith
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $76,420
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-30 → 2028-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11066659

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11066659, Social Reward Responsiveness and Interpersonal Stress as Predictors of Suicidal Ideation in Sexual-and Gender-Minority Youth (1F32MH137993-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/11066659. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*