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Principal Investigator: Sarah T Stahl
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $90,746
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
My ongoing research (R01 MH118270) examines the efficacy of a digital health intervention to stabilize the 24-
hour rhythm of sleep, meals, and physical activity for reducing symptoms of depression in acutely-bereaved
older adults. The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 occurred in tandem with the start-up phase of this study. As a
result, I experienced significant setbacks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the recruitment of older
adults was significantly delayed (due to quarantine, social distancing, and participant concerns) and
enrollment did not start until January of 2021 – 17 months into the project period. This delay had cascading
effects on the study timeline and the feasibility of implementing a 15-month study in a newly-truncated project
period. Second, I was an Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) who experienced significant disruptions to the startup
of my independent research lab. Not only did I hire, train, and motivate staff in an uncertain and virtual
working environment, but my reduced level of productivity impacted future milestones in my career trajectory
(e.g., submission of new grants, development of new collaborations, and time to promotion). I exhausted all
other means to overcome COVID-19 setbacks for this study. For instance, I modified the intervention and study
protocol to be 100% contactless and virtual, and I expanded the reach of my intervention to geographic
locations across the United States. Since the start of enrollment in 2021, my study team has enrolled 87% of
our target sample and retained 91% of participants over the 15-month follow-up. I am confident in my team’s
ability to finish this study. However, the parent aims may not be achievable unless I can secure additional
funding to complete follow-up. In this administrative supplement, I propose to use additional funds for partial
salary support for my study staff to complete post-intervention follow-up for 45 individuals. The proposed
supplement aligns with NOT-MH-23 because (1) substantial components of the initial investment are at risk
(e.g., longitudinal data are required for the planned analyses) and (2) I was an ESI implementing my first
substantial research grant from the NIMH. This study is the first of its kind to test the effects of a circadian-
influenced behavioral intervention on reducing depression after the loss of a spouse/life partner – a distressing
albeit common life event in late life. Findings from this study will inform the development of widely
generalizable and scalable technology-based intervention to support bereaved persons in community-based
settings. However, additional funds are necessary to complete the project and collect post-intervention follow-
up data.
Terms: <21+ years old><Active Follow-up><Acute><Administrative Supplement><Adult><Adult Human><Behavior Conditioning Therapy><Behavior Modification><Behavior Therapy><Behavior Treatment><Behavioral Conditioning Therapy><Behavioral Modification><Behavioral Therapy><Behavioral Treatment><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><CV-19><Career Mobility><Collaborations><Communities><Conditioning Therapy><Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019><Data><Development><Distress><Emotional Depression><Enrollment><Environment><Event><Funding><Future><Geographic Area><Geographic Locations><Geographic Region><Geographical Location><Grant><Hour><Individual><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><Investments><Life><Married Persons><Mental Depression><NIMH><National Institute of Mental Health><Parents><Participant><Persons><Phase><Physical activity><Physical distancing><Productivity><Protocol><Protocols documentation><Quarantine><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Research><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Researchers><Risk><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Salaries><Sampling><Secure><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Sleep><Social Distance><Spouses><Testing><Time><Training><United States><Wages><active followup><adulthood><alleviate symptom><ameliorating symptom><behavior influence><behavior intervention><behavioral influence><behavioral intervention><career><career advancement><career transition><circadian><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><coronavirus infectious disease-19><decrease symptom><depression><depression symptom><depressive><depressive symptoms><determine efficacy><developmental><digital health><efficacy analysis><efficacy assessment><efficacy determination><efficacy evaluation><efficacy examination><enroll><evaluate efficacy><examine efficacy><exhaust><experience><fewer symptoms><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><geographic site><healthy life-style><healthy lifestyle><interventional strategy><isolation/quarantine><late life><life style intervention><lifestyle intervention><older adult><older adulthood><parent><post intervention><prevent><preventing><recruit><reduce symptoms><relieves symptoms><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><success><symptom alleviation><symptom reduction><symptom relief><technology intervention><technology-based interventions><technology-enabled interventions><technology-focused interventions><timeline><virtual>