Social determinants of child development and mental health

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Our research seeks a better understanding of environments that have both positive and negative influences on development from the prenatal period onward. We have studied the role of inflammation during the prenatal period in offsprings development and shown that inflammatory biomarkers are associated with neurocognitive outcomes in early childhood. Thus, we are pursuing additional work to characterize variation in maternal immune responses during the course of pregnancy in a range of social settings to address how inflammation mediates social determinants of child mental development. We have also studied childrens physical growth and development, finding that both health-related behaviors and broader social disadvantage contribute to childhood overweight and adult obesity. Our work on adverse social environments spans multiple populations, characterizing traumatic exposures that have lasting influences on mental well-being over the life course and providing novel evidence of transmission to the next generation. We have also conducted studies of the impact of mental disorders on mortality, finding shortened life expectancies among individuals with mood and anxiety disorders.