Bharathi J. Zvara, Ph.D. - US grants

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Families represent a significant context for children's socioemotional development. Using survey and observational data from the ongoing Family Life Project (NIH/NICHD 1 P01 HD 039667-01A1), the proposed study will examine the associations between parent's heavy alcohol use and violent behaviors on child conduct disorders, determine whether father's risky behaviors are associated with increased gatekeeping behaviors by mothers and whether maternal gatekeeping provides a protective buffer for children. The study directly addresses gaps in our understanding of family systems in high risk environments. The primary goal of the proposed training plan is to allow the investigator to develop expertise in family processes within high risk environments by examining the network of relationships in which a family is embedded. This study uses data from the Family Life Project, a longitudinal, multi-method, population-based study of family processes among economically disadvantaged families living in nonurban areas. Preliminary analyses will include examining intercorrelations between all study variables. Confirmatory factor analyses will be used to construct all latent variables used in further analyses. Structural equation models (SEM) will be estimated, in which paternal alcohol use at 24 months and father's violent behavior will be used to determine the associations between fathers' alcohol use and violent behaviors and maternal gatekeeping at first grade. An SEM model will also be estimated, in which father's fathers' alcohol use and violent behavior will be used to predict both paternal parenting behaviors at 58 months and child conduct disorders when the child is in first grade and the moderating role of maternal gatekeeping plays in these associations. Both the direct and indirect pathways by which fathers' risky behavior may influence child development will be examined. The proposed training plan is designed to provide the fellow with the skills necessary to build a program of research that will allow for closer examination of these associations longitudinally in order to model the relations between the pattern of fathers' alcohol use and violent behavior over time and the development of child conduct problems. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Heavy alcohol use has been linked to a range of indicators of poor parenting including less responsiveness to infants, greater impulsivity, and child maltreatment. The proposed research aims to understand the associations between fathers' and mothers' heavy alcohol use and violent behavior on family functioning. More specifically, this study will examine the role that mothers may play to provide a protective buffer against the adverse effects of father's risky behaviors on children's development of conduct problems.

Project Summary This secondary data analysis addresses specific questions regarding the pathways by which childhood sexual trauma (CST) experienced by the mother may place her and her children on life course trajectories for maladaptive developmental outcomes. The current study will use a subsample (N = 204) of the Family Life Project (FLP). The subsample is comprised of 105 mothers with childhood sexual trauma (CST) histories and 99 mothers without CST histories and was created using propensity score matching procedures to control for mother's family of origin demographic variables. Given that 19% of women report childhood sexual trauma in the United States, a significant number of children are living in homes with mothers reporting trauma histories making this an important direction for further inquiry. The past three decades have seen an explosion of interest in the long-term consequences of CST and its association with the socioemotional adjustment of survivors and their children. Prior research links CST history with numerous domains of adult interpersonal functioning, including elevated depression and intimate partner violence (IPV), and problems in the parental role. Children of mothers with trauma histories are reported to have a myriad of developmental problems when compared to children of women without trauma history. Despite the growing interest reflected in the literature, there is still much we do not know or understand about the mechanisms by which maternal trauma may be related to the development of the next generation. Our goal is to identify the processes by which maternal CST may be related to key domains of child functioning which have been linked to short- and long-term success in school and beyond: socioemotional and cognitive development. We will examine the stability of depression, IPV, and parenting behavior across early childhood from 6-60months for mothers with and without CST, and examine the developmental outcomes of children as a function of maternal CST history. Our working hypotheses posit that elevated levels of maternal depression and IPV often reported by mothers with CST histories are primary factors influencing parenting behavior and thereby influencing the development of offspring. A major area of innovation include the use of a rich longitudinal dataset that has a comprehensive array of behavioral, caregiving, and ecological measures from age 6 months ? first grade allowing us, perhaps for the first time, to examine the intergenerational transmission of childhood sexual trauma. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind to test complex longitudinal relations among early adversity and key outcomes in a racially and economically diverse sample.

Project Summary/Abstract The past three decades have witnessed an explosion of interest in the long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment (CM) and its association with the socioemotional adjustment of survivors and their children. Prior research links CM history with numerous domains of adult interpersonal functioning, including increased risk for depression, anxiety, and problems in the parental role. Despite the growing interest reflected in the literature, there is still much we do not know or understand about the mechanisms by which CM may be related to depression, anxiety, and parenting difficulties among women with abuse histories, nor the physiological pathways that may underpin these associations. The proposed study aims to identify the biological mechanisms by which CM may be related to increased vulnerability to mood disorders, such as depression, as well as less sensitive and more intrusive parenting behaviors for women with abuse histories. We will recruit seventy first time mothers and their 6-month old infants, half with self-reported maltreatment history and half without. Mothers will participate in laboratory assessments to characterize their physiologic stress response phenotype using a standardized social stress test to elicit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) reactivity. Additionally, a ten minute parent-child free play interaction in the home will be video-recorded and coded for sensitive and intrusive parenting behavior. Given the pervasive effects of CM across multiple domains of functioning, this study will make a significant contribution to the literature by identifying salient intermediate psychobiological variables that mediate the relationship between CM and adult well-being and parenting behavior. My training plan has been crafted to provide me with the essential components to successfully implement this study and prepare me to be an independent investigator and to build a research portfolio that will incorporate stress biomarkers to the study of parenting behaviors of mothers with maltreatment histories. The first is to develop a knowledge base of the stress-responsive neuroendocrine axes (HPA and SNS) in order to investigate their dysregulation in women with a history of CM. The second goal is to expand my knowledge of the epidemiology and sequela of CM to better understand how maltreatment may impact the wellbeing of multiple generations. The third goal is to develop the skills, expertise, and training that will facilitate my successful transition from a mentored investigator into a fully independent research scientist capable of securing R01 funding. The training articulated in this proposal including the timing, collection and analyses of stress-induced neuroendocrine data, gaining proficiency in mediational analysis using biomarker data, and grant writing, will provide the skills to conduct high impact research identifying critical points of early intervention and, thus, improve prevention efforts aimed at reducing the lifelong burden of CM.