Guide to Navigating this Research Archive
Here you will find research articles published by IDHP researchers that are related to our primary scientific foci: the interconnected mental health of children and their caregivers, the intergenerational impact of stressful experiences on mental and physical health, and interventions and other buffers that support family wellness.
In the right sidebar, you can search this archive by research topic, as well as by research study (you can read about each study on the Current Projects page). Each archive entry has a simple summary, the full scientific abstract, and a link to the full article. Most of the articles in this research archive are available open access (i.e., you can access it without a subscription). If you are trying to access an article and aren't able to see the full version, please email us at [email protected], and we would be happy to assist.
August 14, 2024
Biomarkers
Caregiving behaviors
Childhood adversity
CTRP-Health Study
Intervention effects
Protective factors
SEED Study
This study explored whether a psychosocial treatment to promote safe and responsive parenting in trauma-affected families could reduce epigenetic age acceleration, a health-risk biomarker. Before the treatment, both the intervention and community comparison groups had similar age acceleration levels. After the treatment, the intervention group showed lower age acceleration, suggesting that interventions designed to promote better parent-child relationships may reduce children's biological stress and improve future health.
March 14, 2024
Child mental & behavioral health
Child physical health
Interconnected maternal-child health
Intervention effects
Protective factors
Stress during pregnancy
This article summarizes the science of how stress during pregnancy affects child mental and physical health. It discusses lessons learned from conducting this work and offers suggestions for future research poised to further the field in important areas, including: leveraging pregnancy interventions, identifying resilience promotion factors, and enhancing policy relevance.
February 6, 2024
Biomarkers
Caregiving behaviors
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
Intervention effects
Protective factors
This paper reviews the impacts of psychological dyadic (parent-child) interventions on biomarkers of child health, across multiple biological systems. Overall, published findings to date suggest that dyadic interventions have positive impacts on child biomarkers, especially for families exposed to adversity. While more research is needed, these results suggest that investment in programs and policies that nurture caregiving bonds are meaningful for healthy child development.
December 27, 2023
Caregiving behaviors
Child mental & behavioral health
Interconnected maternal-child health
Intervention effects
Maternal mental health
This paper discusses the value of a two generation-intervention approach, specifically the combination an evidence-based parenting intervention with depression treatment to improve both maternal and child mental health outcomes. The authors also describe the development of a new study testing the impact of such an intergenerational, holistic program.
September 21, 2023
Biomarkers
Caregiving behaviors
Childhood adversity
Intervention effects
Protective factors
This study looked at whether parenting improvements would lead to slower biological aging in children exposed to adversity. Results showed that, indeed, children exposed to more adversity displayed lower biological aging when parents increased positive and decreased negative parenting practices. These findings underscore the powerful role of parenting in children's resilience when facing adversity. It's a reminder that positive parenting practices (like praising), and using fewer negative practices, can act as a shield against effects of early-life hardships.
September 13, 2023
Intervention effects
Maternal mental health
This study examined racial/ethnic disparities in preterm birth and low birth weight before and after implementation of a trauma-informed model of prenatal care for adolescents. Black adolescents in the care-as-usual group were more than twice as likely to deliver preterm or low birth weight infants compared with adolescents of other races/ethnicities. In the trauma-informed group, however, there were no differences in birth outcomes across racial/ethnic groups, indicating an elimination of disparities in both preterm birth and low birth weight. These findings provide evidence that a health system-level intervention, herein trauma-informed obstetric care for adolescents, can play a meaningful role in the reduction of racial disparities.
November 28, 2022
Intervention effects
MAMAS/SEED Study
Maternal mental health
Stress during pregnancy
Depression presents a significant public health challenge, particularly for women both during and after pregnancy. This study investigated the long-term effects of a prenatal mindfulness intervention for Bay Area women from lower-income backgrounds. The research found that this intervention not only reduced depressive symptoms in the short term but also had lasting benefits, extending up to eight years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings emphasize the importance of investing in and supporting mental health interventions during pregnancy to support women and promote their sustained well-being.
March 10, 2022
Biomarkers
Child mental & behavioral health
Intervention effects
MAMAS/SEED Study
This study looked at whether maternal participation in a wellness group during pregnancy affects the health of the child, as well as the mother. Findings showed that infants of women who participated in the wellness group had better self-regulation behavior and showed quicker physiological recovery from stress than those in a treatment-as-usual group. These results suggest that prenatal interventions that reduce mothers' stress may have two-generation benefits.
August 12, 2021
Biomarkers
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
CTRP-Health Study
Intervention effects
This study looked at how cortisol levels, measured through hair samples, are related to behavior problems in young children from low-income families. The researchers studied two groups of children: those who had experienced trauma and participated in therapy, and a community group of children from families experiencing high stress. They found that increases in cortisol over time were associated with greater improvements in child behavior problems, and that changes in hair cortisol levels over time may be more informative than looking at hair cortisol levels at one point in time.
July 20, 2021
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
CTRP-Health Study
Intervention effects
Maternal mental health
This study looked at how inflammation in the body might affect how well people respond to a behavioral treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The researchers measured the levels of certain proteins in the blood of mothers and their young children before treatment and found that those with higher levels of inflammation were less likely to improve with the treatment. This suggests that inflammation could be an important factor to consider when treating depression and PTSD.