Project Grant F31MH145941

INFLUENCES OF PRENATAL INFLAMMATION AND POSTNATAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS ACROSS DEVELOPMENT ON OFFSPRING DEPRESSION - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT ADOLESCENTS EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST DEPRESSION RATES NATIONALLY, AND THERE IS A CALL FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH TO ADDRESS THIS GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PRENATAL FACTORS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE ETIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION. SPECIFICALLY, PRENATAL INFLAMMATION HAS BEEN LINKED TO MORE SEVERE OFFSPRING DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS AT MULTIPLE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES, INCLUDING ADOLESCENCE. IN ADDITION, POSTNATAL PARENTAL DISTRESS ALSO HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF OFFSPRING DEPRESSION. THE PREPONDERANCE OF STUDIES HAS ONLY EXAMINED THE COMBINATION OF PRE- AND POSTNATAL FACTORS UP TO ONE YEAR AFTER BIRTH, HOWEVER EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT POSTNATAL FACTORS CONTINUE TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSPRING DEPRESSION WELL BEYOND THE PERINATAL PERIOD, SUCH AS MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE. IN ADDITION, SOME STUDIES SUGGEST THAT POSITIVE PARENTAL OR FAMILIAL FACTORS CAN BE PROTECTIVE OF OFFSPRING DEPRESSION AFTER EARLIER INSULTS, BUT NO STUDY HAS EXAMINED THESE FACTORS JOINTLY WITH PRENATAL INFLAMMATION. TO ADDRESS THESE GAPS, THIS APPLICATION UTILIZES DATA FROM AN EXISTING LONGITUDINAL COHORT. IT AIMS TO MAP THE ADDITIVE INFLUENCES OF PRENATAL INFLAMMATION AND POSTNATAL PARENTAL AND FAMILIAL RISK OR PROTECTIVE FACTORS ACROSS DEVELOPMENT ON OFFSPRING DEPRESSION. THE PRIMARY AIMS WILL EXAMINE (1) THE ADDITIVE INFLUENCE OF PRENATAL MATERNAL INFLAMMATION (PNMI) AND POSTNATAL MATERNAL DISTRESS DURING OFFSPRING CHILDHOOD ON OFFSPRING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENCE (AGES 15-19) AND (2) THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF POSITIVE FAMILY FACTORS DURING OFFSPRING ADOLESCENCE ON OFFSPRING DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS. TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL DISCREPANCIES IN FINDINGS BY OFFSPRING SEX, THE PRIMARY AIMS WILL ADDITIONALLY BE CONDUCTED EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENT SUBSAMPLES. EXPLORATORY AIMS WILL (1) REEXAMINE DEPRESSION OUTCOMES IN A LATE MIDLIFE SUBSAMPLE (AGES 57-63), (2) USE QUALITATIVE DATA TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY DISTINCT THEMES OF MATERNAL DISTRESS AND (3) USE LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY DISCRETE SUBGROUPS FOR OFFSPRING ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION RISK. THIS PROPOSAL EXPANDS ON TWO COMPLETED NIMH-FUNDED PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL R01 STUDIES, WHICH BROADLY INVESTIGATED HOW PRENATAL STRESS AND INFLAMMATION IN THE CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES (CHDS) INFLUENCED ADOLESCENT DEPRESSIVE OUTCOMES, AS WELL AS CLINICAL, COGNITIVE, AND NEURAL CHARACTERISTICS IN LATE MIDLIFE OFFSPRING. PARTICIPANTS ARE MOTHER-OFFSPRING DYADS RECRUITED DURING THEIR PREGNANCIES, WITH 737 PARTICIPANTS AT ADOLESCENCE (PRIMARY SAMPLE) AND 139 OFFSPRING AT LATE MIDLIFE (EXPLORATORY). THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL OCCUR IN TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY DOCTORAL PROGRAM, UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF FACULTY WITH A SUCCESSFUL TRACK RECORD OF EXECUTING NIH-FUNDED RESEARCH AND TRAINING INDEPENDENT CLINICAL RESEARCH SCIENTISTS. IN COLLABORATION WITH THIS TEAM, I HAVE DEVELOPED THIS RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND THE FOLLOWING TRAINING GOALS: GAIN EXPERTISE IN (1) IMMUNOLOGY, (2) DEVELOPMENTAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR DEPRESSION, (3) QUALITATIVE STRESS CONCEPTUALIZATION, (4) LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS, AND (5) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER.