# Congenital cytomegalovirus: Infant developmental trajectories and parent experiences

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $169,560

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Infants born with congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) are at heightened risk long-term sequelae such as
intellectual disability, sensorineural hearing loss and cerebral palsy. Most prior work has examined
development in infants with cCMV using disease severity at birth to predict broadly defined long-term
outcomes (e.g. “normal” vs. “abnormal” development) largely ignoring environmental or psychosocial
influences that may shape long-term outcomes. Maternal stress and poorer coping skills, in general, are two
such influences that have been associated with poorer developmental outcomes in at-risk infants. Examining
developmental trajectories in infants with cCMV may allow for a more nuanced appreciation of the emergence
or lessening of developmental delays, along with correlating maternal experiences. A better understanding of
cCMV infant development, mothers’ stressors, experiences and perceived needs may yield proximal targets for
intervention, as in other conditions, to improve outcomes of infants with cCMV. Examining cCMV infant
developmental trajectories, their relationship with maternal stress, well-being and parenting experiences are
critical to creating disease-specific anticipatory guidance, interventions and support systems that may improve
infant outcomes. Therefore we will recruit and retain a birth cohort of 100 mother-infant dyads, and measure
infant development longitudinally across the first 12 months of infancy to address the following aims: Aim 1) To
identify distinct trajectories of development in infants with cCMV, and to determine whether trajectories are
associated with baseline characteristics of the infant, and mother; Aim 2) To determine whether developmental
trajectory membership is associated with maternal stress and well-being measured by self-report instruments;
and Aim 3) To examine mothers’ experiences of parenting an infant with cCMV through sequential, repeated
unstructured qualitative interviews from birth to 12 months of age. Study PI, Dr. Pesch, is a developmental and
behavioral pediatrician whose recent research and clinical work has centered around the diagnosis and
treatment of cCMV. With the support of an interdisciplinary tem of mentors and an advisor, Dr. Pesch will gain
experiences in the measurement of infant development using a virtual platform, the recruitment and retention
of a rare disease cohort, insider research methods to minimize bias and family resilience theory. This K23
supported research training will increase the understanding of the developmental trajectories of infants with
cCMV, and the relationships of those trajectories with maternal stress and well-being. These findings will lead
to a future maternal empowerment intervention for mothers of infants with cCMV to improve infant
developmental outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10424643
- **Project number:** 1K23HD108278-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** MEGAN H. PESCH
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $169,560
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-16 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10424643

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10424643, Congenital cytomegalovirus: Infant developmental trajectories and parent experiences (1K23HD108278-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10424643. Licensed CC0.

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