How Families Thrive: Understanding How Disasters Affect Parents and Young Children
Official title: The Impact of Multisystem Risks on Parent and Child Well-Being in Early Childhood
Funded at University of North Carolina Greensboro · NIH-11377487 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how disasters and big life risks affect the well‑being of parents and their young children from pregnancy through age 4, using a long‑term study to learn what helps families stay resilient.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of North Carolina Greensboro NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Greensboro, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $276,667 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD110422-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11377487 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Expectant parents or families with a child around age 4 who experienced or may experience disasters or major life stresses.
✕Less likely to help
Families not experiencing significant multisystem stress or who are not willing to participate in long-term follow‑up.
What this research studies
Researchers will build on an ongoing study of nearly 300 mothers and their children, recontacting families when the child is four to gather stories about stress, supports, and daily life during disasters. They will look at risks like money trouble, health issues, and job losses, and protective factors such as supportive relationships and coping strategies, across individual, family, and community levels. The goal is to map how these multisystem risks influence family well‑being over time and identify points where interventions could help families weather future crises.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of which supports most help families during disasters could guide programs to protect child development and family health.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows some links between disaster stress and family well‑being, but this project adds multi‑level, longitudinal data and a focus on early childhood.
Where this research is happening
-
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Greensboro, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sattler, Kierra Marie Pettit — University of North Carolina Greensboro
- Study coordinator: Sattler, Kierra Marie Pettit
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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.