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Maternal stress and the biological and epigenetic pathway to childrens development
Safe People
Organisation name
University of Sydney
Organisation sector
Academic Institute
Applicant name(s)
Nancy Kong
Dr Brendan Osberg
Safe Projects
Project ID
B3894
Lay summary
This project aims to investigate the effect of parental stress on children’s development of non-cognitive skills and both emotional and behavioural disorders. In particular, we plan to investigate parental stress in the forms of: (a) maternal exposure to stressors during pregnancy; and (b) COVID-19 related health and financial stress during the height of the pandemic. This project will employ rich longitudinal datasets and use questionnaire data to examine parenting styles as well as epigenetic, genetic, and clinical biomarkers to examine the potential pathways of parental stress on children’s developmental outcomes.
Public benefit statement
The project will identify a novel pathway of stress transmission, highlighting the potential negative intergenerational consequences. The findings will shed light on policymakers to reduce parental stress in order to minimize social costs across generations. Results will be presented at international conferences, and aim to be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
Latest approval date
08/10/2021