# Penn State University's Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies TCCMS

> **NIH NIH P50** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2020 · $160,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Although emerging data regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic suggest that children and
adolescents have a lower risk of being diagnosed with severe COVID-19 infections, serious adverse
effects, including death, have been reported in this age group. Additionally, concerns that children
and adolescents with mild COVID-19 infections continue to spread infections remain. Despite being
less likely to be diagnosed with cases of COVID-19, youth's lives are profoundly impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic in numerous ways, including due to disrupted daily routines and educational
experiences, reduced social contacts with peers and families, and, potentially, increased exposures
to unsafe home environments, overwhelmed caregivers, incidents of domestic violence, and,
possibly, incidents of child maltreatment. This highlights that youth with a history of child maltreatment
may be particularly vulnerable to the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic seeing as
they are likely to come from families already experiencing multiple hardships. This impacts a large
number of youth; over one third of U.S. youth are investigated for child maltreatment (CM) before the
age of 18. The proposed project will build on the currently ongoing Child Health Study (CHS;
HD089922, PI: Noll, Co-I: Schreier), as part of which 775 youth aged 8-13 years who were recently
investigated for CM as well as 225 comparison youth without a history of CM are being recruited and
followed prospectively. Taking advantage of this unique and exceptionally well-characterized cohort,
we will augment the biopsychosocial data already being collected to examine vulnerability and
resilience towards COVID-19 infections among these youth, as well as how the additional stress that
is currently being experienced by caregivers in the study may spill over to impact youth well-being
throughout and following this pandemic. We will examine whether a broad range of physiological,
e.g., endocrine, immune, and metabolic, as well as psychosocial, and demographic characteristics of
youth are associated with known infections of COVID-19 or with an absence of known infections in
the context of having been in close contact with individuals with known infections. Additionally, we will
investigate the influence of added caregiver stress on possible exacerbations of existing youth health
problems, physiological markers of stress, and new incidents of child maltreatment. Thus, by
shedding light on the current and future experiences of some of society's most vulnerable individuals,
the resulting data have the potential to provide a powerful jumping-off point for future intervention
programs to support these youth who are and will be transitioning into adulthood in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, this knowledge will also carry forward into informing responses to
possible future pandemics which may have similar effects on the everyday lives of individuals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10176029
- **Project number:** 3P50HD089922-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** JENNIE G NOLL
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $160,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-04-20 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10176029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10176029, Penn State University's Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies TCCMS (3P50HD089922-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10176029. Licensed CC0.

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