# Development of a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk for serious mental illness

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $161,589

## Abstract

Summary
 Subclinical psychotic symptoms are a pluripotent transdiagnostic risk factor, associated both with an
increased risk of subsequently developing a serious mental illness (psychotic or non) and current psychiatric
distress. However, attempts to prevent the onset of these chronic illnesses in individuals with subclinical
psychotic symptoms have had limited success. This may be due to the majority of prior studies focusing on a
relatively late stage of risk, when the illness processes are possibly well underway and thus more difficult to
reverse. Intervening earlier in the lifespan, during adolescence - a time characterized by high levels of
neuroplasticity - could be particularly important for preventive interventions, while also addressing the highly
pressing current need for more mental health services for youth.
 During the past few years, we have developed and tested a brief, group-based intervention for young
adults, called Resilience Training (RT). RT focuses on increasing capacities that support social functioning,
including social cognition, the neuropsychological processes involved in accurately perceiving others and their
mental states. When these capacities are enhanced, such improvements may lead to lower rates of
psychopathology. In two published trials, we have reported that RT led to reductions in a range of symptoms
and improved social functioning. Additionally, improvements in social cognition, particularly in Theory of Mind,
the ability to understand the mental states of others, are linked to RT-related decreases in psychiatric
symptoms and improvements in social functioning in this at-risk young adult group.
 Based on these prior findings, the goal of the proposed project is to adapt RT for at-risk adolescents
who will be recruited using a brief mental health screening administered in their high schools, which will identify
those who have subclinical psychotic symptoms but are not yet receiving any mental health treatment. We will
first test the adapted intervention for its feasibility and acceptability in this population, and then conduct a pilot
randomized, waitlist-controlled trial, to test for its efficacy in reducing transdiagnostic symptoms and improving
social functioning. We will also measure whether the proposed target mechanism of the intervention, social
cognition, plays a role in any intervention-related improvements. If the hypotheses of this project are confirmed,
it will be followed by a definitive, longitudinal, randomized control trial, which will measure the efficacy of this
novel intervention for preventing disability in transdiagnostically at-risk adolescents.
 During the course of this project, with the guidance of a highly experienced multi-disciplinary
mentorship team, coursework, and a comprehensive training plan that involves training in research on social
cognition, adolescent mental health, longitudinal biostatistics, and intervention adaptation, the applicant will
develop the necessary knowledg...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10904937
- **Project number:** 5K23MH131793-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole R. DeTore
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $161,589
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-10 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10904937

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10904937, Development of a transdiagnostic intervention for adolescents at risk for serious mental illness (5K23MH131793-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10904937. Licensed CC0.

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