Current Research Projects

Baby Affect and Behavior Study (BABY)

The goal of BABY is to understand of the biological and interpersonal mechanisms by which emotion dysregulation, a transdiagnostic risk factor for multiple psychiatric disorders, is transmitted intergenerationally from mothers to children. This longitudinal study follows 385 mother-child dyads from the third trimester of pregnancy until the children are 36 months old. Data collection is ongoing. This study funded through the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH119070).

Sleeping Newborns: Understanding Growth & Learning (SNUGL)

SNUGL is a second research project examining the origins of infant dysregulation. This longitudinal project is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH132210) and will focus on the role of maternal and infant sleep in the emergence of attention and behavior dysregulation in the first year of life. For this study, 200 pregnant women and their partners are being recruited during pregnancy and followed until the infant is 12 months old. Data collection is ongoing.

Utah Adoption Survey

We collected questionnaire data from over 200 Utah adoptive families between 2017 and 2019. Our lab is currently examining the implications of adoptive parents’ reports of stress specifically related to experiences of infertility and the process of adoption for: (1) their own mental health after placement and (2) their adopted child’s early socioemotional and cognitive development.