| Funding Scheme : |
Early Career Scheme |
| Project Number : |
28100125 |
| Project Title(English) : |
Investigating Resilient Psychosocial Functioning in Youth Using Functional Brain Connectivity and Digital Phenotyping: Are Individuals with Higher Resilience More Distinctive? |
| Project Title(Chinese) : |
運用功能性腦連結與數位表徵探討青少年的心理社會韌性：高韌性個體是否展現更獨特的特徵？ |
| Principal Investigator(English) : |
Dr Wong, Ting Yat |
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : |
|
| Department : |
Department of Psychology |
| Institution : |
The Education University of Hong Kong |
| Co - Investigator(s) : |
|
| Panel : |
Biology & Medicine |
| Subject Area : |
Medicine, Dentistry & Health |
| Exercise Year : |
2025 / 26 |
| Fund Approved : |
788,773 |
| Project Status : |
On-going
|
| Completion Date : |
30-4-2028 |
Abstract as per original application
(English/Chinese): |
Mental health problems like depression and anxiety are extremely common worldwide. Despite major efforts to improve mental health care, rates of mental illness have not decreased over the past few decades. To make real progress, we need to shift focus from treating illness to promoting wellness and resilience before problems start. Resilience refers to the ability to cope with and bounce back from stress. Some people are more resilient, while others struggle more with stress and can develop mental health issues.
This study will examine links between resilience, smartphone-based digital behavioral data and brain connections. We will recruit 129 youths aged 18-24 from Hong Kong. Participants will complete questionnaires about their psychosocial functioning and retrospective early life stress prior to age of 18. We will also collect GPS mobility data and screen usage time from their smartphones over two months. In addition, participants will undergo an MRI brain scan to map connectivity between different brain regions at rest.
We will calculate an outcome-based resilience for each person by taking into account both their psychosocial wellbeing and self-reported early life experiences. Computational techniques will be employed to identify individuals based on their digital and brain connectivity patterns. It is hypothesized that individuals who are more unique and distinguishable from the others may show higher levels of resilience. Subsequently, machine learning models to predict individual resilience will be developed using digital and brain imaging data. This procedure aims to shed light on specific digital and brain patterns associated with resilience.
Understanding the links between resilience and individual patterns of digital or functional connectivity could offer valuable insights into promoting adaptation to life stressors. Identifying digital and biological markers of resilience could ultimately help design tailored interventions to reduce risk when people experience significant life stress. Overall, this innovative study integrates psychology, neuroscience, and data science to elucidate potential mechanisms underlying resilience, moving beyond a disease-focused view. Leveraging smartphone and brain imaging as tools for resilience research represents a fresh, interdisciplinary perspective with potential clinical impacts for mental health promotion.
全球有極高比例的人口受抑鬱和焦慮等心理健康問題所困擾。儘管在改善心理健康服務方面已投入大量努力，但過去幾十年間，精神疾病的整體發病率並未顯著下降。要真正推動進展，我們需要將重點從「治療疾病」轉向「促進身心福祉與韌性」，即在問題出現之前加強預防與適應力。韌性是指個體在面對壓力時的應對與恢復能力。有些人較具韌性，能夠有效調適壓力，而另一些人則較容易受到壓力影響，進而發展出心理健康問題。
本研究旨在探討韌性與智能手機數位行為數據及大腦功能連結之間的關聯。我們將招募129名來自香港、年齡介乎18至24歲的年輕人作為參與者。受試者將填寫有關其心理社會功能與18歲前早期生活壓力的回顧性問卷。我們亦會在為期兩個月的時間內，從參與者的智能手機中收集 GPS 移動資料與螢幕使用時間。此外，參與者將接受靜息態功能性磁力共振成像（fMRI）掃描，以描繪大腦不同區域間的功能連結情況。
我們將根據參與者的心理社會健康與其自述的早期經歷，計算出每個人的「結果導向韌性指標」。接著，研究將應用運算技術來辨識參與者在數位行為與大腦連結模式上的特徵，並假設韌性較高的個體，其行為與神經表現可能在群體中更為獨特與可區分。隨後，我們將基於數位與大腦影像資料，建構機器學習模型以預測個體的韌性。此程序旨在揭示與韌性相關的具體數位與神經表徵。
理解韌性與個體數位行為或大腦功能連結模式之間的關係，有助於深入認識人們如何適應生活壓力。辨識出心理韌性的數位與生物標誌，最終可望促成更個人化的干預策略，以降低人們在面對重大壓力事件時的心理風險。總體而言，本研究融合心理學、神經科學與數據科學，致力於揭示韌性的潛在機制，並跳出以疾病為中心的研究框架。運用智能手機與腦影像作為心理韌性研究工具，展現出創新且跨學科的視角，對未來心理健康促進工作具有潛在臨床意義。
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| Research Outcome |
Layman's Summary of
Completion Report: |
Not yet submitted
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