# Social Connectedness and Communication in Parents with Huntington''s Disease and their Offspring: Associations with Psychological and Disease Progression

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $658,346

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Extensive research has established clear, strong associations between human social relationships and health
and illness. A lack of social connection, including isolation, loneliness, and conflict, is related to the onset and
progression of cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, diabetes, and obesity among other acute and
chronic health conditions. Neurodegenerative diseases have been relatively overlooked in this research
despite having adverse effects on patients’ functioning that may disrupt a range of social relationships.
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an exemplar neurodegenerative disease that it is a fully penetrant, autosomal
dominant condition characterized by progressive cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and motor impairments that
have the potential to negatively affect family functioning and community engagement. HD is likely to place a
particular burden on the parent-child relationship given that the disease is most often diagnosed in middle
adulthood, a period that includes the primary years for child rearing and parenting, and offspring of parents
with HD have a 50% risk of inheriting the disease themselves. As children watch their parents’ disease
progress, they observe their own potential future and may be tasked with significant caretaking demands.
Notably, qualitative research highlights significant impairments to social relationships experienced by both HD
parents and their offspring within and outside of the family. In response to PAR-21-145, the proposed study will
address the gap in empirical research by documenting levels of the structure, function and quality of social
connectedness in HD families and examine potential mechanistic targets for behavioral intervention. Our
preliminary data emphasize the negative impact of HD on social connectedness, including the quality of
communication, of parents with HD and their offspring. Further, our previous research and preliminary data
suggest two potential mechanisms linking social relationships and psychological and physical health outcomes
for parents with HD and their offspring: executive function (EF; e.g., working memory) and emotion regulation
(ER) in response to stress (e.g., cognitive reappraisal, problem solving). We will examine the associations
between social connectedness and quality of life and impairment in cognitive and emotional function in a
sample of 200 patients with HD and their adolescent and young adult offspring (n = 200). A sample of parents
without neurodegenerative disease (n = 200) and their adolescent and young adult offspring (n = 200) will
serve as a comparison sample.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10381163
- **Project number:** 1R01HD104188-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel Oliver Claassen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $658,346
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-05 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10381163

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10381163, Social Connectedness and Communication in Parents with Huntington''s Disease and their Offspring: Associations with Psychological and Disease Progression (1R01HD104188-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10381163. Licensed CC0.

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