# Tracking Depression and Associated Modifiable Social-Emotional Factors in Adolescent Girls with Autism

> **NIH NIH K99** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $117,388

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk for depression due to risk factors
associated with female sex and ASD-related challenges. However, little empirical evidence is available on the
psychosocial mechanisms of depression onset and change for girls with ASD, leaving no effective intervention
to treat depression in this extremely vulnerable group. While social interaction and relationship challenges are
particularly pronounced during adolescence, sufficiently nuanced longitudinal data is needed to understand how
momentary and cumulative social and emotional experiences impact psychological well-being during this critical
time in order to inform treatment development.
The current proposal aims to investigate longitudinal trajectories and social mechanisms of depression in ASD
during adolescence with a focus on girls. Three complementary studies are proposed to achieve the research
objectives and provide necessary training to equip the candidate with advanced methodological and professional
skills to transition into an independent research position. During the mentored K99 phase, two secondary data
analyses will leverage existing data to generate initial evidence on depression and social experience in
adolescent girls with ASD to: (1) Map trajectories of depression symptoms in girls with ASD and typical
development (age 10 to 13) (Aim 1), using group-based longitudinal structural equation models (LSEM); (2)
Profile daily social experiences relevant to negative mood and depressive symptoms in girls with ASD (Aim 2),
using daily social experiences data collected with a cross-sectional sample of transition-age youths with ASD.
To examine social-emotional protective and risk factors of depression (Aim 3), during the R00 phase, an
accelerated longitudinal study with measurement bursts using ecological momentary sampling (EMA, study
protocol piloted in K99) will be conducted to collect four waves of original data on 120 adolescent girls (60 ASD
and 60 TD, age 14 to 16) over two years. Findings from the novel multi-method longitudinal study will directly
inform development of targeted intervention by identifying how momentary social experiences, emotions, and
coping strategies impact mood in the “moment” and in the long term, while considering the impact of individual-
level characteristics.
Through the carefully designed training activities and the institutional resources available at UCSF, the candidate
will receive focused training on developmental psychopathology and pubertal development in ASD, hands-on
clinical experiences in identifying and treating depression in girls with ASD, and methodological training in the
state-of-art design and analyses of EMA during the K99 phase. With the strong support from a team of leading
experts in their respective fields, the candidate will successfully establish her own line of research and become
an independent researcher with unique expertise.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10752671
- **Project number:** 5K99MH131841-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Shuting Zheng
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $117,388
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-12-09 → 2024-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10752671

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10752671, Tracking Depression and Associated Modifiable Social-Emotional Factors in Adolescent Girls with Autism (5K99MH131841-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10752671. Licensed CC0.

---

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