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Neurocognitive Processing of Gun Violence in the Media: Differential Pathways to Adolescent Anxiety and Depression

Award Number: RF1MH136072
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/12/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2029

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Neurocognitive Processing of Gun Violence in the Media: Differential Pathways to Adolescent Anxiety and Depression - Exposure to media depicting gun violence against young people has been linked to decreased perceptions of personal safety and increased anxiety and depression symptoms among adolescents. Black adolescents report greater exposure to this coverage, which often depicts violence against people they perceive as similar to themselves, and the stress following these secondhand exposures may contribute to elevated anxiety and depression symptoms. Yet exceedingly little research has examined how the adolescent brain is impacted by almost daily access to gun violence broadcasts during this period of high neural plasticity and whether these exposures lead to experience-dependent alterations in neurocognitive markers of vigilance, as well as increases in media consumption and anxiety/depression symptoms. We hypothesize that neurodevelopmental shifts in the resolution of competition between stimulus-driven vs. goal-directed attention prime the development of vigilance for media coverage of gun violence. This, in turn, perpetuates a distressing cycle where hypervigilant teens consume more media about gun violence events, often at the expense of engaging in competing mood-boosting activities. Black adolescents may be at greater risk through these pathways given their greater exposure to and potentially heightened reactivity to this coverage. To assess competing visuocortical components of vigilance, we will use steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), which enhance precision and reliability over conventional behavioral or neural measures. A novel SSVEP paradigm, co-designed with a teen community advisory board to ensure cultural relevance, will evaluate goal-directed attention in the presence of stimulus-driven threat stimuli selected from broadcasts of mass shootings, school shootings, and police-involved shootings. The study will enroll a community sample of 250 adolescents (ages 13-17 at baseline; 50% Black; 50% female) and follow them every six months for eighteen months during this critical period of risk for vigilance and the development of depression and anxiety. Vigilance (indexed by SSVEPs), media consumption of gun violence events, and symptoms of anxiety and depression will be assessed at each study visit, and daily diary assessments will be conducted in the 7 days preceding each SSVEP assessment, as well as in the 7 days following significant national or local gun violence events. A primary aim is to evaluate the impact of vigilance and media consumption on prospective changes in adolescents' anxiety and depression symptoms. We will also test race as a moderator of these associations, examining whether they are stronger among Black adolescents versus their peers. Analyses will also examine directional effects between vigilance and media consumption to determine if a feedback loop may perpetuate these biases over time. This study will provide novel, integrative insights into the neurocognitive sequelae of media exposure to gun violence events. Findings will inform brain-based interventions to reduce anxiety and depression during adolescence, with particular relevance for Black adolescents and others most affected by secondhand exposure to gun violence in the media.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $2,361,287 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION	4200 FIFTH AVENUE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15260	ALLEGHENY	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	6/30/2026	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$2,361,287
														Subtotal = $2,361,287

Grand Total All Awards = $2,361,287

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Neurocognitive Processing of Gun Violence in the Media: Differential Pathways to Adolescent Anxiety and Depression

Award Number: RF1MH136072

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/12/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 04/30/2029

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