• Young teens collaborate on a project.

    Youth Suicide

    We are passionate about finding ways to prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth who are at high-risk, especially youth from minoritized groups.

  • Teens on phones

    Social Media

    We are interested in the influence of adolescents' social media experiences on their mental health and suicide risk.

  • A young teen girl smiles while using a laptop.

    Technology

    We leverage innovative technological methods to study and intervene on adolescent suicidal risk.

Social Media & Suicide Prevention Among Adolescents Research Center

Welcome to SPARC-Life! This Center is operated by Drs. Candice Biernesser and Jamie Zelazny at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry and School of Nursing, respectively. This website will detail research studies we or our colleagues are conducting and offer resources to adolescents and their families.

Young girl making a heart with her hands
Children aged 10-17 are needed for SPARC-Life's SMART2 study

You or your child may be eligible if you/they are:

  • Ages 10-17
  • English-speaking
  • Owners (or users) of at least one social media account
  • Without history of serious psychiatric disorder, current suicidal ideation within the past year, and without a history of suicidal behavior

The SMART study is conducted by Dr. Jamie Zelazny. 

For more information or if you're interested in participating, check out SMART2 on Pitt+Me.