How time spent close to caregivers shapes infant mental health
Parent-child proximity and emerging psychopathology
Researchers will follow babies from birth using wearable devices, home observations, and brain measures to link how often infants are near caregivers with early brain and behavior development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11314518 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I join during pregnancy, the team will enroll me and follow my baby with visits at 1, 6, 12, and 18 months, with about 150 families taking part. My baby will wear a small device that tracks how much time they spend near each caregiver, while researchers also record language exposure and observe caregiving in the home. The study includes brain measures of structure and connectivity to look for early changes tied to caregiving patterns. The project combines new wearable tools with traditional observations to create a child-centered picture of early caregiving across multiple caregivers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Pregnant people and their infants who can commit to follow-up visits, home assessments, and wearable-device monitoring through the child’s first 18 months, typically living near Nashville.
Not a fit: This project is unlikely to directly help adults without young children, parents of older children, or families unable to participate in home visits or wearable monitoring.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify caregiving patterns that reduce the risk of later mental health issues and inform more timely parenting supports.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies link early caregiver contact and language exposure to brain and behavior outcomes, but continuous wearable measurement of infant-caregiver proximity is a newer, less-tested method.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, UNITED STATES
- Vanderbilt University — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Humphreys, Kathryn Leigh — Vanderbilt University
- Study coordinator: Humphreys, Kathryn Leigh
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.