# Childhood Maltreatment and the Transition to Parenting: A Psychobiological Model

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $115,557

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The past three decades have witnessed an explosion of interest in the long-term consequences of childhood
maltreatment (CM) and its association with the socioemotional adjustment of survivors and their children. Prior
research links CM history with numerous domains of adult interpersonal functioning, including increased risk
for depression, anxiety, and problems in the parental role. Despite the growing interest reflected in the
literature, there is still much we do not know or understand about the mechanisms by which CM may be related
to depression, anxiety, and parenting difficulties among women with abuse histories, nor the physiological
pathways that may underpin these associations. The proposed study aims to identify the biological
mechanisms by which CM may be related to increased vulnerability to mood disorders, such as depression, as
well as less sensitive and more intrusive parenting behaviors for women with abuse histories. We will recruit
seventy first time mothers and their 6-month old infants, half with self-reported maltreatment history and half
without. Mothers will participate in laboratory assessments to characterize their physiologic stress response
phenotype using a standardized social stress test to elicit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and
sympathetic nervous system (SNS) reactivity. Additionally, a ten minute parent-child free play interaction in the
home will be video-recorded and coded for sensitive and intrusive parenting behavior. Given the pervasive
effects of CM across multiple domains of functioning, this study will make a significant contribution to the
literature by identifying salient intermediate psychobiological variables that mediate the relationship between
CM and adult well-being and parenting behavior.
My training plan has been crafted to provide me with the essential components to successfully implement this
study and prepare me to be an independent investigator and to build a research portfolio that will incorporate
stress biomarkers to the study of parenting behaviors of mothers with maltreatment histories. The first is to
develop a knowledge base of the stress-responsive neuroendocrine axes (HPA and SNS) in order to
investigate their dysregulation in women with a history of CM. The second goal is to expand my knowledge of
the epidemiology and sequela of CM to better understand how maltreatment may impact the wellbeing of
multiple generations. The third goal is to develop the skills, expertise, and training that will facilitate my
successful transition from a mentored investigator into a fully independent research scientist capable of
securing R01 funding. The training articulated in this proposal including the timing, collection and analyses of
stress-induced neuroendocrine data, gaining proficiency in mediational analysis using biomarker data, and
grant writing, will provide the skills to conduct high impact research identifying critical points of early
intervention and, th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10236391
- **Project number:** 5K01HD095535-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Bharathi J. Zvara
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $115,557
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-10 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10236391

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10236391, Childhood Maltreatment and the Transition to Parenting: A Psychobiological Model (5K01HD095535-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10236391. Licensed CC0.

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