# Mechanistic links between maternal PTSD and early infant emotional development

> **NIH NIH R01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $672,010

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological disorder that can occur following
trauma exposure. PTSD risk is twice as high in women. Furthermore, risk of posttraumatic symptoms (PTS) is
intergenerational, in that children of mothers with PTS are more likely to have PTS themselves, perpetuating
the cycle of pathology. Despite this intergenerational risk, there remains little known about the impact of PTS
on early parenting behavior, relational health, and infant behavioral and biological risk outcomes.
 A positive maternal caregiving system during infancy is vital and sets the stage for a child’s healthy
emotional and social development. There are many aspects of the maternal caregiving system that are
important, but growing evidence suggests that maternal sensitivity (warmth and attentive, appropriate, timely,
and consistent parental responsiveness toward infant signals and cues) and mother-infant emotional
connection are particularly critical factors for an infant’s secure attachment development and stress regulation.
Deficits in the ability to flexibly regulate emotions following such interactions with the infant may therefore
underlie particular problems with positive parenting behaviors. Women with PTS show hyperactivation in fear
circuitry and deficient regulation of these circuits; which may lead to decreased positive parenting behavior and
mother-infant emotional connection. Examining the role of maternal PTS in emotional reactivity and
regulation associated with infant cues will provide insight into important mechanisms that lead to
impairment in maternal sensitivity and mother-infant emotional connection. Examining the role of
maternal PTS and parenting on behavioral and physiological reactivity patterns in these newborns will
also aid in our understanding of the effects of PTS on early emotional and stress regulation
development in children of women with PTSD, helping to establish a mechanistic model of risk that will
inform clear treatment targets in traumatized populations.
 In the current application, we will examine how maternal PTS affects neural and physiological response
to infant stimuli, maternal sensitivity and mother-infant emotional connection, and infant behavioral and
physiological outcomes among trauma-exposed women at 6 weeks, 4 months, and 9 months postpartum. We
will examine the aims listed below in 120 mother-infant dyads recruited in Atlanta, GA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10496928
- **Project number:** 1R01HD109126-01
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Abigail Powers Lott
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $672,010
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-05 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10496928

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10496928, Mechanistic links between maternal PTSD and early infant emotional development (1R01HD109126-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10496928. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*