Understanding How a Mother's Childhood Experiences Affect Her Child's Mental Health
Exploring Mechanisms Linking Maternal Childhood Adversity to Adolescent Psychopathology: The Role of Early Childhood Deprivation and Threat
This project looks at existing information to understand how difficult childhood experiences for mothers might connect to mental health challenges in their children as they grow into teenagers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11163263 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We are looking at information from a long-term project called the Family Life Project to understand how a mother's childhood experiences, like maltreatment, might influence her child's emotional and behavioral health during adolescence. By using new ways of looking at this information, we hope to uncover the specific pathways that link a mother's past to her child's future well-being. This helps us understand why some children of mothers with difficult pasts face challenges while others do not. Our goal is to find the underlying reasons for these connections.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This research is relevant to mothers who experienced childhood adversity and their adolescent children, as well as families seeking to understand intergenerational patterns of mental health.
Not a fit: Individuals not connected to the specific experiences of maternal childhood adversity and adolescent psychopathology may not directly benefit from this particular research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand and identify children at higher risk for mental health issues, leading to earlier support and more effective prevention strategies.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has established links between maternal childhood maltreatment and offspring psychopathology, and this work builds on that foundation using innovative models.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zvara, Bharathi J. — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Zvara, Bharathi J.
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.