Document text
Principal Investigator: Andrea L. Roberts
Organization: HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $547,791
Funding agency: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Project Summary
Children of women exposed to childhood abuse exhibit increased risk for a wide array of neurodevelopmental
deficits, including elevated risk of anxiety, depression, and social problems. Our studies have found that these
children had a more than three-fold higher risk of autism and 70% higher risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). Animal studies similarly find that maternal exposure to stressors is associated with offspring
anxiety, depressive symptoms, and attention problems and decreased social behavior. Neurodevelopmental
disorders are common and carry lifelong, costly burdens. Yet, extant research has failed to identify pathways
by which children of women abused are at risk of harm. Identification of such pathways is a critical step in
preventing neurodevelopmental deficits in these children. The present research focuses on three likely
pathways that have largely been unexamined. We will identify biological dysregulation during pregnancy in
women exposed versus unexposed to abuse in two systems: hormonal function and immune function.
Dysregulation in these biological systems is known to harm offspring neurodevelopment and is present in
adults who have experienced childhood abuse, yet it is largely unknown whether dysregulation in these
systems occurs during the pregnancies of women exposure to abuse. We will collect biological samples to
measure the functioning of these systems in a large, prospective cohort of pregnant women. Second, we will
examine whether women who experienced abuse carry higher genetic loading for neuropsychiatric disorders
by calculating genetic risk scores for 5 disorders including autism and ADHD in more than 8000 women.
Genetically informed studies indicate that genetic variation plays a role in increased risk of negative
neurodevelopmental outcomes in children of women abused. However, to date no studies have used genome-
wide data to address this question. Our proposed study is uniquely suited to greatly expand our understanding
of how childhood abuse affects health across generations and to inform interventions to protect the healthy
development of children. This information is critical to establish public health priorities and to determine the
optimal type and timing of interventions to prevent neurodevelopmental harm to children.
Terms: <0-11 years old><21+ years old><AD/HD><ADHD><ASD><Address><Adrenal Glands><Adrenals><Adult><Adult Human><Affect><Animals><Anxiety><Assay><Attention><Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder><Autism><Autistic Disorder><Autoregulation><Bioassay><Biological><Biological Assay><Cellular Immune Function><Child><Child Abuse><Child Development><Child Youth><Child health care><Childhood><Childhood Abuse><Children (0-21)><Data><Decrease disparity><Diagnosis><Disease><Disorder><Disparities><Disparity><Documentation><Dysfunction><Early Infantile Autism><Early Intervention><Emotional Depression><Endocrine><Environmental Factor><Environmental Risk Factor><Exhibits><Exposure to><Fetomaternal Transmission><Functional disorder><Generations><Genetic><Genetic Diversity><Genetic Load><Genetic Risk><Genetic Variation><Genetic predisposing factor><Genotype><Gestation><Goals><HPA axis><Health><History><Homeostasis><Hormonal><Human><Hypophysis><Hypophysis Cerebri><Hypothalamic structure><Hypothalamus><Infant and Child Development><Infantile Autism><Inflammation><Inflammatory><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Kanner's Syndrome><Life Cycle><Life Cycle Stages><Lower disparity><Maternal Exposure><Maternal-Fetal Transmission><Measures><Mediating><Mental Depression><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Mental disorders><Mental health disorders><Modern Man><Morbidity><Morbidity - disease rate><Mothers><Neural Development><Neurodevelopmental Deficit><Neurodevelopmental Disorder><Neurological Development Disorder><Nurses' Health Study><Outcome><Pathway interactions><Physiological Homeostasis><Physiopathology><Pituitary><Pituitary Gland><Pituitary Nervous System><Population><Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type Attention-Deficit Disorder><Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type Hyperactivity Disorder><Pregnancy><Pregnant Women><Prenatal care><Prevention><Prospective cohort><Psychiatric Disease><Psychiatric Disorder><Psychological Health><Psychological abuse><Recording of previous events><Research><Risk><Sampling><Sexual abuse><Shapes><Social Behavior><Social Problems><Stressful Event><System><Testing><Thyroid><Thyroid Gland><Thyroid Head and Neck><Time><Unemployment><Woman><adulthood><autism spectral disorder><autism spectrum disorder><autistic spectrum disorder><biologic><biological systems><child healthcare><cost><depression><depression symptom><depressive><depressive symptoms><design><designing><disability><disparity reduction><emotional abuse><environmental risk><expectant mother><expecting mother><experience><genetic risk factor><genome scale><genome-wide><genomewide><high risk><histories><hypothalamic><hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis><hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis><hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenal axis><immune function><improved><in utero transmission><inherited factor><interventional strategy><jobless><joblessness><kids><life course><life span><lifespan><maternal to fetal transmission><mental abuse><mental illness><mitigate disparity><neurodevelopment><neurodevelopmental disease><neuropsychiatric><neuropsychiatric disease><neuropsychiatric disorder><neuropsychiatry><offspring><out of work><pathophysiology><pathway><pediatric><pediatric care><pediatric health care><pediatric healthcare><perinatal intervention><physical abuse><physical conditioning><physical health><physical maltreatment><pituitary thyroid axis><polygenic risk score><pregnancy care><pregnant mothers><prenatal><prenatal appointment><prenatal checkup><prenatal visit><prevent><preventing><psychiatric illness><psychological disorder><public health intervention><public health priorities><public health relevance><reduce disparity><reduction in disparity><screening><screenings><sex abuse><sexually abused><social disturbance><sociobehavior><sociobehavioral><stressful experience><stressful life event><stressful life experience><stressor><suprarenal gland><systemic inflammation><systemic inflammatory response><transmission during pregnancy><unborn><unemployed><youngster>