# The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use and psycho-somatic health in pregnant and postpartum women with intersecting vulnerabilities.

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2020 · $134,896

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The new clinical guidelines for diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) list self-regulation as one
of the key behavioral deficits in children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). There is a fundamental
gap in knowledge about the underlying mechanisms, spectrum, and severity of such deficits early in life and the
best analytical approaches to identify them. In addition, the effect of prenatal stress and postnatal environment
on PAE-induced alterations is poorly understood. The primary focus of the parent Ethanol, Neurodevelopment,
Infant, and Child Health 2 (ENRICH-2) study is on identification of neurobehavioral deficits associated with PAE
early in life. This administrative supplement will allow us to examine the comorbid effect of COVID-19 pandemic
and alcohol use on adverse maternal and infant outcomes in this cohort. The long-term goal of this supplement
is to characterize the psycho-social effect of COVID-19 pandemic on adverse outcomes, including alcohol use,
in a longitudinal birth cohort study, thus providing the foundation for future intervention studies. The objective of
this supplement is to comprehensively evaluate the effect of COVID-19 related stress in pregnant and
postpartum women enrolled in the ENRICH-2 cohort. We will evaluate this by adding state-of-the-art self-
reported measures integrated with real-time physiological data that are not currently part of the funded parent
study. The rationale for this supplement is driven by the gap in knowledge about the effect of the COVID-19
pandemic on psychosocial outcomes, alcohol use, and stress-related physical outcomes in pregnant and
postpartum women, a vulnerable population disproportionately affected. We will address this gap in knowledge
by pursuing two specific aims which evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on adverse maternal and infant outcomes
in the ENRICH-2 cohort: 1) psychosocial outcomes and alcohol use, assessed as COVID-19 stress related to
exposures and symptoms, COVID-19 pandemic adjustment, emotion regulation, mother-infant attachment, and
alcohol consumption and 2) physiologic outcomes assessed as heart rate variability and sleep patterns,
evaluated by wearable electronics – an approach particularly novel in the current social distancing environment.
This approach is highly innovative, and will allow for the objective, real-time data collection in the climate of
prolonged social distancing and challenges associated with face-to-face research visits in vulnerable
populations. A detailed characterization of COVID-19 related outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women,
effect of COVID-related social isolation and other hardships on mental health and alcohol use, as well as the
cumulative effect on pediatric neurodevelopmental outcomes are highly significant in order to lay out the
foundation for early effective interventions to mitigate the effects in these vulnerable populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10206633
- **Project number:** 3R01AA021771-08S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Ludmila Nicole Bakhireva
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $134,896
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2013-07-15 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10206633

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10206633, The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol use and psycho-somatic health in pregnant and postpartum women with intersecting vulnerabilities. (3R01AA021771-08S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10206633. Licensed CC0.

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