Heart 2 Heart
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining effects of parent-infant interaction on emotion regulation in dyads where the mother has anxiety
IRAS ID
263692
Contact name
Tony Charman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 7 days
Research summary
How anxiety is developed in early childhood is not well understood. Parental anxiety is a risk factor for a number of outcomes, including child anxiety, in offspring, but research into the intergenerational transmission of anxiety has not historically focused on infant populations. Furthermore, the vast majority of previous research has involved either questionnaires, or small doses of ‘best behaviour’ interactions observed in the lab.
Our research examines how affective (emotional) and physiological states compare between infants and parents in real world settings. We use miniaturised microphones and cameras, and wearable physiological monitors, to record vocalisations and day-long physiological fluctuations in infants under 1 years of age and their parents who have an anxiety disorder.
Our research is designed in collaboration with the perinatal mental health team at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. We aim to identify how physiological patterns and parenting behaviours in anxious parents, as well as elements of the home environment, are related to infants’ development of regulatory skills. We also seek to understand how and why young children might develop different types of anxiety disorder (e.g. social anxiety disorder versus general anxiety disorder).
This research will run between 2019-2021 and generate a much-needed evidence-base for the development of interventions helping parents and infants with early years stress regulation; such knowledge may be applicable universally as well as for those with acute needs.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1501
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion