Understanding how maternal depression affects children's emotional development
Official title: Charting Positive Valence Systems Trajectories in Offspring of Depressed Mothers to Predict Internalizing Symptoms in Early Childhood
Funded at Pennsylvania State University, the · NIH-10979020 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how a mother's depression can affect her young child's feelings and behavior, especially for kids who might be more likely to develop anxiety or depression themselves, so we can find ways to help them early on.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State University, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (University Park, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $801,869 |
| NIH project number | 1R01MH134870-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-10979020 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are children aged 0-11 years who have mothers with a history of depression.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose mothers do not have a history of depression may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the impact of maternal depression on the emotional and behavioral development of children, particularly focusing on those at high risk for developing anxiety and depressive disorders. By studying the trajectories of Positive Valence Systems in young children, the research aims to identify key markers of vulnerability that can be targeted for early prevention efforts. The approach involves a multimodal, accelerated longitudinal design, which will track changes in emotional responsiveness over time in children of depressed mothers. This study seeks to fill gaps in existing knowledge by examining these effects in preschool-aged children, rather than just adolescents.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to early interventions that significantly reduce the risk of anxiety and depression in children of depressed mothers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that understanding emotional development in high-risk youth can lead to effective prevention strategies, indicating that this approach has potential for success.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State University, the
University Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burkhouse, Katie L — Pennsylvania State University, the
- Study coordinator: Burkhouse, Katie L
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Population Research Institute: Understanding how communities, movement, and social factors shape health across ages
A Pennsylvania State University research center is studying how where people live, move, and participate in families affects health and well‑being from childhood through adulthood.
-
Integrated data platform for infectious disease research using scalable public infrastructure
A large NIH grant funds a platform that makes infectious-disease data easier to access, combine, and analyze using powerful public infrastructure so researchers can work faster and more collaboratively.
-
READI-SET-GO: Improving Delirium Screening for Hospitalized Older Adults
A hospital-based program tests how well routine nurse delirium screening using UB-CAM works when integrated into the electronic health record to improve outcomes for older patients.
-
Healthy Brain and Child Development: a big study following kids from birth through age 10
A large, nationwide study will follow 7,200 mothers and their babies to map how early life experiences shape brain growth and development.
-
How sex differences affect the rewarding feel of aggression in the brain
This grant explores why aggressive experiences feel more rewarding in females and how specific brain circuits and chemical signals shape this in both sexes.
-
How parents' emotions shape young children's anxiety
This project explores how parents' moment-by-moment emotions and bodily signals shape anxiety in children from infancy through age 11.
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.