How caregiver mental health affects recovery from severe malnutrition in young children
Understanding the role of caregiver mental health in outcomes following childhood severe acute malnutrition
This project will track caregivers' depression and anxiety while their children get treatment for severe acute malnutrition to learn how caregiver mental health relates to child recovery and relapse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11514557 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child is treated for severe acute malnutrition, researchers will add short questionnaires about my mood and anxiety to an existing treatment trial in Burkina Faso. They will measure caregiver depression and anxiety during the child's treatment and follow up for up to one year after recovery. Those caregiver measures will be linked to detailed child health data already being collected, including relapse and longer-term outcomes. The study aims to show whether caregiver distress affects a child's ability to recover and stay healthy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are caregivers of children (under 11 years) receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition, especially those enrolled at the Burkina Faso trial sites.
Not a fit: Caregivers of children who are not currently being treated for SAM, or families not enrolled in the referenced trial, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could identify caregiver mental health as a point of intervention to improve child recovery and reduce relapse after SAM treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research links caregiver depression to infant undernutrition, but applying this approach specifically to children with severe acute malnutrition is relatively novel and not well studied.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Velloza, Jennifer — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Velloza, Jennifer
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.