How teen experiences and lifelong stress contribute to racial gaps in mothers' and babies' health
Racialized inequities in birth outcomes and maternal health following childbirth: the role of maternal early-life disadvantage, adolescent contexts, and pre-pregnancy stress
Looking at how girls' experiences in adolescence and stress before pregnancy may help explain why Black mothers and infants often face worse health outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Reno NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Reno, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167615 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses long-term data from the national Add Health study to trace girls' social and stress experiences from adolescence into adulthood and childbirth. Researchers will analyze links between early-life disadvantage, teen social environments, measures of stress and biological aging, and later birth outcomes and maternal mental health. By following people across time, the team aims to identify patterns and pathways that could point to when and how to support young people to prevent problems later in life. The work relies on existing survey and health data rather than enrolling new participants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This research is about adolescent girls who later became mothers and is most directly relevant to women of reproductive age—especially Black women and others who experienced early-life disadvantage.
Not a fit: People whose health concerns are unrelated to pregnancy, early-life social stress, or maternal mental health may not see direct benefit from this specific research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to early-life prevention and support strategies that reduce racial disparities in birth outcomes and postpartum mental health.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked early-life disadvantage and stress-related 'weathering' to poorer birth outcomes, but using the Add Health longitudinal data to map adolescent contexts to later maternal and infant health is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Reno, United States
- University of Nevada Reno — Reno, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Koning, Stephanie Michelle — University of Nevada Reno
- Study coordinator: Koning, Stephanie Michelle
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.