# Impact of Perinatal Pandemic-Related Stress on the Early Caregiving Environment, Infant Functioning, DNA Methylation, and Telomere Length

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2022 · $87,363

## Abstract

SUPPLEMENT ABSTRACT
Pregnancy marks a time of increased challenges among families that may be exacerbated by conditions
known to enhance stress reactivity and disrupt emotion regulation, such as posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Understanding the impact of PTSD and pandemic-related stress on families with children born during
the pandemic is critical for identifying and driving novel approaches to prevention and intervention. The parent
R01 seeks to recruit a diverse cohort of women and their partners who pregnant during the COVID-19
pandemic. Phase 1 will involve a survey (N=2,000) to assess perinatal stress exposure. Phase 2 will involve a
longitudinal study of subgroups with high (n=200) and low (n=200) perinatal stress (with oversampling of Latinx
women). Aims are to: (1) identify unique pandemic-related stress profiles that vary on the types and quantity of
stress exposure and differentially associate with race/ethnicity, caregiver-reported emotion dysregulation,
PTSD, parenting, and infant dysregulation (Phase 1); (2) Compare infants with high and low perinatal stress
and examine caregiver emotion dysregulation, PTSD, and responsive parenting as mediators of this
relationship (Phase 2); and (3) identify differentially methylated regions of DNA and differences in telomere
length and changes over time in infants by stress group. This work will yield mechanistic insight on how
pandemic-related stress and caregiver functioning influence the caregiving environment and infant outcomes,
with implications for perinatal public health interventions. The proposed Diversity Supplement will enable us
to further contextualize the lived experiences of Black and Latina women and expand our understanding of
social determinants of perinatal maternal stress and protective factors during this unprecedented time. The
candidate, Ms. Adriana Sowell, a Black and Jamaican woman, obtained a BA in Sociomedical Sciences from
the University of Connecticut in 2021 and plans to apply to public health and medical schools. Ms. Sowell
intends to pursue an academic career centered on the social determinants health and health disparities
experienced by Black and Brown communities. Supplement aims (under parent aims 1 and 2) are to (1)
employ a qualitative, grounded theory approach to identify emerging themes relevant to adverse pandemic-
related experiences, including racial/ethnic stress and discrimination, of Black and Latina women who were
pregnant during the pandemic, (2) examine whether themes reflecting their perinatal experiences associate
with maternal psychosocial health and well-being, and (3) explore factors that may buffer pandemic-related
stress. Ms. Sowell will collect qualitative data via focus groups and qualitative interviews with Black and Latina
women from the parent study. This supplement will provide Ms. Sowell mentored training in research
administration (Training Goal 1) and qualitative research (Training Goal 2), pursuing a topic that builds
natura...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10489554
- **Project number:** 3R01HD106617-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Margaret J Briggs-Gowan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $87,363
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-05-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10489554

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10489554, Impact of Perinatal Pandemic-Related Stress on the Early Caregiving Environment, Infant Functioning, DNA Methylation, and Telomere Length (3R01HD106617-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10489554. Licensed CC0.

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