Grant: Team Grant - Maternal Health: From Pre-conception to the Empty Nest-LOI

Approximately 10 percent of pregnancies result in postpartum depression and 15 percent result in postpartum anxiety disorders. Mental health conditions, particularly depression and anxiety, affect the development of the child, the attachment bond between mother and child, and the long-term well-being of both the mother and child. There is mounting evidence for the importance of genetic vulnerabilities in the development of mood and anxiety disorders. These genes influence the pattern of fluctuations in specific hormones that are in flux during the perinatal period which, in turn, may lead to problems in the regulation of neurochemicals (i.e., serotonin) that are associated with mood and anxiety disorders. Genetic vulnerabilities in combination with the heightened psychological stresses of pregnancy and the postpartum period can also influence concentration, attention and memory to further enhance risk for these conditions. Research on non-biological vulnerability factors implicated in the onset of mood and anxiety disorders has focused on personality traits (e.g., the tendency to experience heightened stress reactivity and negative emotions in the face of life challenges), cognitive factors (e.g., the presence of dysfunctional beliefs that lead to appraising normal experiences during pregnancy and the postpartum period as personally threatening), and social factors (e.g., presence or absence of supports). The current research proposes to bring together a national team of investigators with expertise in maternal mental health and mood and anxiety disorders to study a large population of women through different phases of pregnancy and into the postpartum period. The results of this study will lead directly to a better understanding of the frequency and causes of mental health conditions, which, in turn, could lead to advances in prenatal detection of at-risk individuals and subsequent early-intervention programs to prevent the onset of these debilitating conditions.