Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
Program Description
NIMHD supports research projects that seek to model the underlying mechanisms, processes, and trajectories of social relationships and how these factors affect outcomes in health, illness, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Projects submitted to NIMHD must include a focus on one or more NIH-designated populations experiencing health disparities in the United States, which include Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities.
The trans-NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OPPNET), which leads this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), supports research activities that build the collective body of knowledge on the nature of behaviors and social systems and deepen our understanding of basic social-behavioral mechanisms and processes. Wide-ranging evidence supports the benefits of social connectedness which can help people maintain mental and physical wellbeing, facilitate recovery from acute illness, and support improved self-management of chronic conditions.
As a participating organization in this funding opportunity, NIMHD welcomes projects that study many aspects of minority health and health disparities—from biological and population sciences to clinical, behavioral, and translational research, as well as research on health care services, health systems and workforce development. NIMHD focuses on the full continuum of causes of health disparities and the interrelation of these causes. Also, NIMHD encourages projects that use approaches encompassing multiple domains of influence (e.g., biological, behavioral, sociocultural, environmental, physical environment, health system) and multiple levels of influence (e.g., individual, interpersonal, family, peer group, community, societal) to understand and address health disparities (see the NIMHD Research Framework, for more information).
With this FOA, NIMHD seeks to understand the interrelation between social connectedness and social isolation and minority health and health disparities. Topics may include:
- Impact of social connectedness and social isolation on populations experiencing health disparities and health disparities.
- Positive and negative impacts of social connectedness and social isolation.
- Unique challenges for populations experiencing health disparities.
- Identify intervention targets for populations experiencing health disparities.
- Impact of interpersonal and systemic discrimination and microaggressions on social connectedness and social isolation.
- Impact of neighborhood/place, poverty, stigma, on social connectedness and social isolation.
- Impact of diverse cultures on social connectedness and social isolation.
NIMHD will not fund applications that propose animal studies. Researchers proposing basic science experimental studies involving human participants should consider the companion FOA PAR-21-144 “Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required).”
NIH Guide No.: PAR-21-145 (Reissue of PAR-19-373)
Page updated Jan. 12, 2024
