Identifying How Childhood Stress Affects Health and What Could Help
Official title: Identification of Child Risk and Resilience to Early Life Stress
Funded at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles · NIH-11296797 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how early life adversity affects young people and seeks biological clues to identify and prevent toxic stress.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hospital of Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $732,995 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD118103-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11296797 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children exposed to early life adversity and their caregivers, with ongoing follow-up through pediatric settings.
✕Less likely to help
Children or families who do not experience early adversity or who are unable to participate in longitudinal follow-up may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles will follow a large group of mother-child pairs to find biological markers, especially mitochondrial changes, that accompany early life stress. They aim to combine biological measures with existing PEARLS questionnaire screening to improve early detection of a harmful stress response in children. The project will involve tracking participants over time to see how early experiences relate to later health outcomes and identifying signals in biology that reflect resilience or risk. The goal is to create scalable tools that help clinicians recognize and intervene with toxic stress earlier in development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could lead to earlier and more accurate identification of children at risk for stress-related health problems and guide personalized interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows associations between early adversity, stress biology, and health, with promising but not yet definitive biomarkers.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Levitt, Pat — Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Levitt, Pat
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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.