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.
May 30, 2023
Child mental & behavioral health
Child physical health
Childhood adversity
ECHO-wide Study
This study examined the connection between mothers who experienced childhood maltreatment and the physical and mental health problems in their children. The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 69 cohorts (4,337 families) across the USA. They found that children of mothers who experienced childhood maltreatment were more likely to have internalizing problems, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and asthma. Female offspring of maltreated mothers also had a higher prevalence of obesity. The study highlights the importance of addressing the intergenerational transmission of adversity and implementing policies to break this cycle.
February 3, 2023
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
ECHO PATHWAYS Study
Stress during pregnancy
This study looked at how a mother's exposure to stressful events in childhood and during pregnancy can affect her child's mental health. The researchers studied over 1,900 mother-child pairs and found that mothers who had experienced more childhood trauma and pregnancy stress had children with more mental health problems. The study highlights the importance of preventing and treating childhood trauma and stress during pregnancy to improve the well-being of both mothers and their children.
December 3, 2022
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
ECHO PATHWAYS Study
Stress during pregnancy
This study explored how women's experiences of childhood adversity and stressful events during pregnancy can impact their children's anxiety and depression symptoms. Researchers found that stress exposures during pregnancy had a positive association with children's anxiety and depression symptoms, while no significant link was observed with maternal childhood traumatic events. This suggests that policies and programs aimed at preventing childhood internalizing symptoms should consider prenatal origins and the potential impact of pregnancy stress prevention and intervention on the next generation.
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.
October 21, 2022
Child mental & behavioral health
Child physical health
ECHO PATHWAYS Study
Stress during pregnancy
This paper profiles the ECHO-PATHWAYS cohort, which harmonizes data from three pregnancy studies in various regions of the U.S. with the goal of studying how chemical and psychosocial stress exposures impact child neurodevelopment and airway health.
June 16, 2022
ECHO-wide Study
Maternal mental health
The study examined how depression symptoms changed in mothers of premature and full-term infants from birth to age 5. Researchers found that 1 in 5 mothers of premature infants had depression symptoms, which was twice the rate of mothers of full-term infants. Depression symptoms increased and became more severe as children got older for mothers of premature infants. These findings suggest that many mothers may experience depression symptoms beyond the initial postpartum period, and mothers of premature infants may need additional support.
June 1, 2022
Biomarkers
Childhood adversity
This article discusses the potential benefits and risks of using new tools to assess how children's bodies are responding to stress to inform their pediatric care. This biological approach may help providers understand what kind of interventions each child needs and whether their treatment is working. However, such biological measures are still under development, and, before implementation, it is critical for researchers, pediatricians, and communities to work together to determine how to most ethically utilize such an approach.
May 7, 2022
CANDLE Study
Child mental & behavioral health
Childhood adversity
Maternal mental health
This study looked at how women's exposure to childhood trauma impacts their own mental health and their child's adaptive behaviors (ability to perform developmentally appropriate activities completely and independently). The study found that mothers with higher levels of mental health problems during and after pregnancy were more likely to have children with lower levels of adaptive functioning at 12 and 24 months old, and experiencing childhood trauma increased mothers' risk for mental health problems.
April 29, 2022
Biomarkers
ECHO-wide Study
Stress during pregnancy
This study looked at how lower socioeconomic status and stress affect pregnancy outcomes. The researchers studied biological, behavioral, and social factors that might contribute to oxidative stress, which is an important yet understudied way that these factors can harm a pregnancy. The results showed that pregnant people who smoked or had less than a high school education had higher levels of oxidative stress biomarkers, which may contribute to negative health outcomes for both the pregnancy and the child.
April 25, 2022
CANDLE Study
Caregiving behaviors
Child mental & behavioral health
Protective factors
Stress during pregnancy
This study looked at the effects of stress and violence experienced by pregnant women on their children's mental health. The researchers found that women's exposure to stress and violence during pregnancy was linked to problems with child mental health and executive functioning. Importantly, the study also found that high-quality parenting behaviors (higher sensitivity, supportiveness, scaffolding) could protect against these negative effects. The results suggest that supporting women's mental health during pregnancy and supporting their capacity for sensitive parenting could improve the wellbeing of both mothers and their children.