# Reducing Fetal Exposure to Maternal Depression to Improve Infant Risk Mechanisms

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY) · 2021 · $741,234

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is one of the most well established risk factors for the
development of later child psychopathology. Accumulating evidence from naturalistic observational studies
documents that fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is associated with risk for later child mental
health problems. Maternal depression is one of the most common prenatal complications with approximately
40% of women experiencing elevated levels of depressive symptoms. The majority of past research has been
correlational, so potential causal conclusions have been limited. This project will break new ground by testing
the hypothesis that manipulating maternal depressive symptoms will benefit infant outcomes. In this project,
maternal depressive symptoms will be reduced using brief interpersonal therapy (IPT), a well-established and
efficacious treatment, and testing whether this reduction leads to an improvement in the development of infant
mechanisms associated with risk for later psychopathology. Consistent with NIMH's priority of Research
Domain Criteria (RDoC)-based processes, we will assess infants with multiple measures that assess the
constructs of potential threat (“anxiety”) from the Negative Valence System and cognitive (effortful) control from
the Cognitive System. We propose to assess 300 pregnant women who report elevated levels of depressive
symptoms and their infants. Prior to the intervention, maternal measures will be collected. Then half of the
women will be randomized to receive IPT and the other half will receive enhanced usual care. After completion
of the intervention, maternal measures will be collected longitudinally through 14 months postpartum. Infants
will be evaluated at birth and at 7- and 14-months corrected age. Infants will be assessed across four units of
analysis (brain structure and function, physiology, behavior, and maternal-report).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10133731
- **Project number:** 5R01MH109662-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)
- **Principal Investigator:** Elysia Poggi Davis
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $741,234
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-07 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10133731

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10133731, Reducing Fetal Exposure to Maternal Depression to Improve Infant Risk Mechanisms (5R01MH109662-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10133731. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*