Grant Opportunity for Research in Mental Health: “Functioning of People with Mental Disorders (R01)”
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) announces funding opportunities for research that:
a) develop and refine definitions and measures of function, disability, and daily participation relevant to those with mental disorders;
b) understand the ecological mechanisms, independent of symptom severity, that contribute to functioning and disability in this population; and
c) develop and test novel interventions that specifically and directly target functional capacity and performance deficits of this population.
- Emphasis will be on the application of basic behavioral processes (e.g., cognition, affect, knowledge, attitudes, motivation, learning, decision-making, interpersonal processes), and environmental parameters (e.g., social support, structural adaptations, community involvement) that influence functional outcome.
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages research on the biobehavioral and environmental factors, independent of symptom severity, that contribute to the functional capacity and performance of those with mental disorders. Emphasis is on potent and modifiable factors associated with social, occupational, or instrumental functioning that could serve as the basis for interventions specifically designed to improve functioning.
Based on research to better define, measure, and understand the factors contributing to functioning of people with mental disorders, this FOA encourages the development and initial efficacy testing of novel interventions to improve functioning. Interventions can be conceived as additions or enhancements to existing treatments for mental disorders or as stand-alone programs to improve functioning regardless of treatment status. Interventions that address not only the biobehavioral processes and skill sets of those with mental disorders, but also the environmental contexts of these functional behaviors are particularly encouraged.
The need for research is urgent across a range of topics germane to functional assessment. This FOA will encourage grant applications for research in a number of critical areas, including, but not limited to:
- Studies examining the relationship between functional capacity and functional attainment among people with mental disorders;
- Studies focused on developing measures of functional capacity that predict future functional attainment;
- Studies in which the best informant of real-world functioning is determined;
- Studies in which measures of functioning suitable for use as dependent variables are determined;
- Studies linking traditional assessment of psychiatric symptoms with their functional consequences;
- Studies that identify the biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that account for the discrepancy between symptom reduction and functional improvement;
- Studies that determine the necessary factors for functional attainment in people with mental disorders;
- Studies to develop innovative behavioral and ecological interventions that will reduce complications in daily living (e.g., innovative employment strategies, new methods of rehabilitation, or new models of independent living);
- Studies that define and determine the consequences of a rehabilitation-rich and a rehabilitation-poor environment;
- Studies of various theory-based methods of functional assessment in various under-served or high-risk/special-need populations across the life-span;
- Studies examining whether changes in brain structure or function accompany changes in daily functioning among people with mental disorders (e.g., is a change in functional status accompanied by neurogenesis in certain areas of the brain);
- Studies that clarify the characteristics of study participants that may contribute to the need for varying measures of functioning, such as age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, occupation, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, personality traits, personal and/or cultural beliefs about health, the nature of their disorder, or their treatments, and the presence of co-morbid mental illness;
- Studies examining the relationship of emotion regulation and functional outcomes among people with mental disorders; and
- Studies examining the relationship of cognitive deficits in people with mental disorders to complications in functioning and factors that may mitigate the impact of cognitive deficits on daily functioning.
Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism. Applications of identical scientific scope and appropriateness for the grant mechanism are encouraged also under the NIH Small Research Grant (R03), the NIMH Clinical Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R34), and the NIMH Collaborative Grants Program (Collaborative R01) award mechanisms, responding to FOAs PA-06-180, PA-06-248, and PA-07-092, respectively.
For more information, see Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-08-255.
NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/) using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: August 26, 2008
Opening Date: September 5, 2008 (Earliest date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)
NOTE: On-time submission requires that applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization).
Application Due Date(s): Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm
Peer Review Date(s): Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
Council Review Date(s): Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): Standard dates apply, please see http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm#reviewandaward
Additional Information To Be Available Date (URL Activation Date): Not Applicable
Expiration Date: September 8, 2011
