We are recruiting adolescents (aged 13 – 17) who are not adopted and have never lived in local authority care or experienced significant trauma to help us understand how early life experience impacts the brain and behaviour.

Description

Ethics 19192

Details: Why are we conducting this research?

We would like to learn more about how early life experience influences the brain, behaviour, and the immune system in adolescence.  We would like to understand why certain early life experiences (e.g., adoption, stress and parental separation) can cause difficulties for some people.  The long-term goal of this research is to develop tools that could identify young people who are vulnerable to developing future problems, this will ensure people get the help that they need at the right time for them. 

 What would be involved if you took part?

This study will use psychological assessment, online games, brain imaging and blood sampling to help improve our understanding of how and why early life experience can influence mental health, cognition, brain development and the immune system later in life.

After completing an initial screening session, the study includes modules. All families will complete the Parent Module with the other 4 modules completed by young people on an optional basis, as follows:

·       Parent Module – online questionnaires and in-person or virtual interview (60-90mins)

·       Youth Experience Module – online questionnaires (~120mins)

·       Youth Tasks Module – online games/tasks (~90mins)

·       Bio-Assessment Module – brain imaging, blood and hair sample (~120mins)

·       Social and Neurodivergent Module – parent/guardian and adolescent interviews (~15-75mins)

Contact details

If you are interested in participating, please contact the researcher at this email address:

mhmpsychl@manchester.ac.uk or call 0161 30 68103.

Who is eligible to take part?

We are seeking adolescents aged 13-17 years old and their biological parent to take part in this study.

 Inclusion criteria:

·       Reside in the UK

·       Able to travel to the University of Manchester

·       Able to understand the study information and participate in the assessment procedures described below (independently or with reading support from a researcher, friend or family member)

·       Able to read text on a computer screen (using glasses or contact lenses if required)

·       Lived with one or both birth parents throughout childhood.

·       Never been looked after by the local authority (e.g., foster, kinship care or residential children’s home) or adopted during childhood.

·       No significant experience of childhood trauma (including neglect, physical/verbal abuse, sexual abuse or exposure to domestic violence).

·       Family never known to require input from social services due to child protection concerns.

Exclusion criteria:

·       Inability to read or understand English language.

·       Experience of trauma in early life.

·       Previously looked after by the local authority or adopted.

·       Known involvement with social services due to child protection concerns.

We encourage participation from a broad and diverse range of people for this study. Your child does not need to be experiencing any difficulties to take part, however we welcome individuals with learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health difficulties and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism and ADHD). We will not exclude people currently taking medications for psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders. If your child is experiencing a current severe mental health difficulty, (e.g., psychosis) please discuss this with us as we may need to discuss when and how you and your child could take part.

 Payment:

·       You will be compensated for your time and travel expenses.

 What is the study location?

The face-to-face testing day will take place in two wheelchair accessible venues.

[1] Jean McFarlane Building, University of Manchester, Oxford Road. https://www.accessable.co.uk/the-university-of-manchester/access-guides/jean-mc-farlane-building

Details of university parking (free of charge for Blue Badge Holders) can be found here:  www.estates.manchester.ac.uk/services/operationalservices/carparking/

 [2] NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF), Grafton Street. 

Contact details

dominic.oconnor@manchester.ac.uk or mhmpsych@manchester.ac.uk