Maternal Emotion Profiles and Affective Coregulation Influencing Infant Socioemotional Development

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue that negatively impacts maternal mental health and disrupts infant socioemotional developmental, thereby contributing to the intergenerational transmission of poor mental health. While maternal internal emotional frameworks (IEFs), including emotion reactivity, beliefs, and stigma, have been identified as independent components of emotion dysregulation, how these factors co-occur in populations experiencing perinatal IPV remains unclear. Additionally, mother-infant affective coregulation is a critical dyadic process that supports infant socioemotional development, yet little is known about how this relationship may vary based on a mother’s distinct IEF, particularly in families exposed to perinatal IPV. Given that both maternal IEFs and mother-infant affective coregulation can be disrupted in high- stress environments, it is essential to examine their independent and combined effects in the context of perinatal IPV. This F32 project will address this critical gap by: (1) identifying internal emotional frameworks of mothers exposed to perinatal IPV based on mother’s emotion reactivity, beliefs, and stigma; (2) examining the direct effects of maternal internal emotional frameworks and affective coregulation on infant socioemotional development; and (3) examining the extent to which maternal internal emotional frameworks and mother-infant affective coregulation interact to influence infant socioemotional development. By using person-centered approaches, such as latent profile analysis (LPA), and integrating affective coregulation coding, this research will capture nuanced patterns of risk and resilience, advancing understanding of modifiable maternal and dyadic factors that can be targeted in interventions to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of poor mental health. This project will build upon a larger NIH study of mother-infant dyads exposed to perinatal IPV by incorporating additional measures of maternal IEFs and an affective coding scheme, addressing key research gaps. Through specialized training in community-based research, dyadic interactions, and person-centered statistical methods, and under the mentorship of Drs. Brown (Sponsor), Lunkenheimer (Co-Sponsor), and Duncan (Co-Sponsor), this fellowship will support Dr. Seely's development as an independent investigator in maternal and child health science. The findings are poised to have high public health impact by identifying key pathways that contribute to the intergenerational transmission of poor mental health and informing targeted intervention strategies for families experiencing high stress-related risk.