CBU research into adolescent mental health receives funding
A Cape Breton University researcher has received about $350,000 in funding for research which is intended to lead to improvements in understanding how teens cope with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Michelle Jetha, assistant professor of psychology at CBU, has been awarded the funding, which comes from the Canadian Foundation of Innovation, the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, and CBU will help pay for equipment and renovations for the new Developmental Social Neuroscience Laboratory.
Jetha’s research explores the origins of maladaptive internalizing and externalizing behaviours, such as anxiety and aggression or hyperactivity.
The research puts a specific focus on neurological factors or biomarkers
“This research is an essential step towards understanding the emotional life of developing youth.’’
Michelle Jetha
that may contribute to this kind of behavior in developing teens.
“This research is an essential step towards understanding the emotional life of developing youth, which is critical for the development of strategies for prevention and treatment of maladaptive behaviour,” Jetha said in a news release.
The tools needed for this research are electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrocardiographic (ECG) equipment which will be used to measure brain and heartrate activity while teens are engaging in laboratory-based tasks that require attention and self-regulation.
Advancements in technology have been emerging in recent years and has led to new understanding of adolescent brain development, with important implications for youth policies and adolescent mental health. The research that Jetha will be conducting will allow the CBU research community to take part in this advancement.
“The work being led by researchers at CBU have implications that reach far beyond the walls of our campus. The important work that Dr. Jetha is leading demonstrates the type of impact our researchers can have on society and shows the calibre of work that undergraduate students have an opportunity to participate in,” Tanya Brann-Barrett, CBU’s dean of research, teaching and graduate studies said in the release.
The research is also intended to improve the public’s understanding of adolescent brain development, vulnerability and resilience to mental disorder. It is relevant to educators, youth policy workers, and those who work in the criminal justice system. It will serve to inform treatment and prevention strategies for youth struggling in those settings.