Mechanisms linking maternal PTSD to how infants feel and react emotionally
Official title: Mechanistic links between maternal PTSD and early infant emotional development
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11408596 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how a mother’s posttraumatic stress affects a baby’s early emotional development and the mother–infant relationship.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $601,113 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD109126-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11408596 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are pregnant or postpartum women with PTSD and their healthy infants in the early weeks to years of life.
✕Less likely to help
Families without maternal PTSD or infants without regulatory difficulties may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will follow mothers with PTSD and their infants to understand how maternal distress influences caregiving warmth, responsiveness, and the infant’s emotional and stress responses. They will examine brain and heart signals in both mother and baby during interactions to see how these systems relate to infant behavior and regulation. The study combines behavioral observation, physiological measures, and brain-related assessments to map pathways from maternal PTSD to infant outcomes. The goal is to identify targets that could support healthier mother-infant bonding and child development in families affected by PTSD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could guide interventions to support mothers with PTSD and promote better emotional health and development for their babies.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research suggests maternal PTSD can affect parenting and infant regulation, with ongoing work aiming to clarify mechanisms and intervention points.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lott, Abigail Powers — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Lott, Abigail Powers
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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.