NIH behavioral and social sciences research support: 1980–2016.

Abstract

The history of behavioral and social science research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) between 1980 and 2016 is reviewed. Noncommunicable diseases are now the primary cause of death worldwide and most are strongly linked to behavior. Developed under the prevailing zeitgeist of the biomedical model, behavioral and social science has often been underfunded at NIH. In 1990, the Senate Appropriations Committee, recognizing that behavior may contribute to about half of all premature deaths, recommended that funding for behavioral and social sciences research should be about 10% of the NIH budget. NIH and American Psychological Association efforts to address this goal are described. Data from several sources suggest that this goal has never been realized. Patterns of federal funding for research may have a significant influence on scientific disciplines. Fields of study that have received more extramural funding are associated with greater growth in faculty and higher faculty salaries. A renewed effort to increase the federal investment in behavioral and social sciences research is necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record

If not us, who? If not now, when? Paths forward in science, patient care, and training to maximize the impact of cardiovascular behavioral medicine.

“…Finally, to successfully pursue the scientific agenda proposed here, we cannot go it alone—we must have partnerships with and financial support from federal agencies. Several administrations have come and gone since Congress, in the early 1990s, directed NIH to devote at least 10% of its budget to behavioral and social sciences research (Kaplan et al, 2017). Unfortunately, this directive has largely been ignored.…”

“…This is in stark contrast to the current positions of the CDC (NCCDPHD, 2022) and the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) and to what the epidemiologic literature (Rosengren et al, 2004) has shown for decades—a strikingly large percentage of chronic disease burden is attributable to behavioral and psychosocial factors. Yet the nation’s research dollars have not been spent accordingly, with recent estimates indicating that NIH spending on behavioral and social sciences research remains less than 10% of its budget (Kaplan et al, 2017). Therefore, we have behavioral and psychosocial pathogens running rampant in society that are not receiving the research investment required to address them.…”

Key milestones during 40 years of behavioral medicine at the National Institutes of Health

“…OBSSR was enacted by Congress in 1993 to identify projects of behavioral and social sciences research that should be conducted or supported by the national research institutes and develop such projects in cooperation with such institutes, and to coordinate research conducted or supported by the agencies of the National Institutes of Health (42 USC, 283c, 1994). The creation of the OBSSR was the result of many efforts in the years preceding its enactment (Kaplan et al, 2017). The annual NIH OBSSR Distinguished Lecturer Award is named in honor of Matilda White Riley who was an early coordinator of and spokesperson for the behavioral and social sciences across the NIH (Mechanic, 2018).…”

Strengthening Clinical Research in Marriage and Family Therapy: Challenges and Multilevel Solutions

“…We argue that it is equally as critical for AAMFT to advocate to fund the science of MFT by interfacing with government organizations (e.g., Administration for Children and Families, National Institutes of Health), insurance companies (e.g., Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation grants program), and other funding sources. The American Psychological Association (APA) has a long history of advocating for federal funding in support of research in behavioral and social sciences (Kaplan, Bennet Johnson, & Clem Kobor, ). We are unaware of similar campaigns in AAMFT's history.…”

“…One area of research in which funding is particularly scarce is clinical research involving couples. The lack of federal funding available for research in this area is surprising when you consider the substantial impact of one's partner on key health behaviors linked to morbidity and mortality, such as smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and social support (Kaplan et al., ; Lewis & Butterfield, ; Oxford Health Alliance, ). If federal funding allocations for clinical research in MFT are to increase, it will require well‐coordinated campaigns in partnership with other organizations with similar interests.…”