This K23 application prepares the candidate, Jeanne Alhusen, PhD, for a research-intensive career leading multidisciplinary efforts to improve early childhood outcomes in children targeted by early intervention programs in community settings. Specifically, I aim to become an expert in the biological and psychological underpinnings of maternal attachment and its influence on maternal-child physiological attunement, and ultimately early childhood outcomes. Understanding these relations is critical in understanding, from a biological perspective, how secure maternal attachment may confer developmental advantages in young children living in poverty and how maternal biology can impact the effectiveness of early interventions. The overall aims of this proposal are to (a) examine the relations among maternal cortisol, oxytocin, attachment style, sensitivity, (b) examine the moderating role of maternal-child cortisol attunement on the association between maternal attachment style and maternal sensitivity and (c) examine the associations between maternal-child cortisol attunement and early childhood outcomes in 75 mother-child dyads living in urban poverty. In the short-term, the current proposal will allow me to gain the skills and expertise to conduct mentored research on the biological and psychological underpinnings of maternal attachment and their relation to maternal sensitivity, maternal-child physiological attunement, and ultimately early childhood outcomes. To accomplish this, I need to acquire a fundamentally different skill set. My training plan is explicitly designed to address gaps in my knowledge of maternal attachment and its related biological processes (i.e., cortisol, oxytocin) that may compromise early childhood outcomes. Short-term training objectives include training in 1) biological measures of attachment and stress, 2) parent-child interaction assessment, 3) advanced training in treatment outcome research and related statistical analyses and, 4) skills requisite for a successful academic career (i.e., responsible conduct of research, grantsmanship, leading interdisciplinary teams). These training goals, together with the specific aims of the research plan, will lead to an R01 application, the theme of which will be incorporating the biological underpinnings of attachment into developing interventions to improve maternal attachment which will ultimately improve caregiving quality and early childhood outcomes. Throughout the mentored award period, the candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Gayle Page, Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Linda Bullock, the University of Virginia, experts in biobehavioral and maternal mental health research, respectively. The candidate will also receive mentorship from three senior consultants (Dr. Lane Strathearn, Dr. Lisa Berlin, Dr. Sharon Ghazarian) with complementary areas of expertise, carefully selected to address each of her training goals.

Public Health Relevance

Maternal attachment security is essential for mothers to optimally engage in early intervention programs that benefit their children. The physiological processes underlying maternal attachment style may make it more difficult for some mothers to benefit from psychosocial interventions designed to improve maternal-child outcomes. Illuminating these processes provides one channel through which maternal attachment may shape early childhood HPA regulation and its ensuing life-long effects on health, particularly for families living in poverty.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
7K23NR015810-02
Application #
9213835
Study Section
National Institute of Nursing Research Initial Review Group (NRRC)
Program Officer
Henry, Rebecca
Project Start
2015-09-02
Project End
2018-06-30
Budget Start
2016-02-25
Budget End
2016-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Alhusen, Jeanne L; Geller, Ruth; Jellig, Jerry et al. (2018) Intimate Partner Violence, Small for Gestational Age Birth and Cigarette Smoking in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 27:458-465
Bower, Kelly M; Geller, Ruth J; Perrin, Nancy A et al. (2018) Experiences of Racism and Preterm Birth: Findings from a Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2004 through 2012. Womens Health Issues 28:495-501
Alhusen, Jeanne L; Geller, Ruth; Dreisbach, Caitlin et al. (2017) Intimate Partner Violence and Gestational Weight Gain in a Population-Based Sample of Perinatal Women. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 46:390-402
Epstein, Elizabeth G; Arechiga, Jaqueline; Dancy, Margaret et al. (2017) Integrative Review of Technology to Support Communication With Parents of Infants in the NICU. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 46:357-366
Alhusen, Jeanne L; Norris-Shortle, Carole; Cosgrove, Kim et al. (2017) ""I'M OPENING MY ARMS RATHER THAN PUSHING AWAY:"" PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF A MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTION AMONG HOMELESS WOMEN AND YOUNG CHILDREN. Infant Ment Health J 38:434-442
Alhusen, Jeanne L; Ayres, Lauren; DePriest, Kelli (2016) Effects of Maternal Mental Health on Engagement in Favorable Health Practices During Pregnancy. J Midwifery Womens Health 61:210-6
Alhusen, Jeanne L; Bower, Kelly M; Epstein, Elizabeth et al. (2016) Racial Discrimination and Adverse Birth Outcomes: An Integrative Review. J Midwifery Womens Health 61:707-720