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Childhood exposure to violence, neurocognitive health, and the moderating role of parenting

Award Number: F31HD121342
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2027
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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Childhood exposure to violence, neurocognitive health, and the moderating role of parenting - ABSTRACT Children exposed to violence–such as assault, gun violence, and physical fighting—experience increased risk for adverse outcomes across their life course. This risk is especially salient during early childhood (ages 0-8 years old) when brain development is most sensitive to external factors. Despite this period of high risk in neurocognitive development, little is known about how community violence exposure (CVE) in early childhood is associated with executive functioning (EF), skills that predict lifelong health, academic achievement, and resilience. Given that EF is highly predictive of health across the lifespan and known to lessen risks posed by chronic disease, risks to healthy EF development should be identified and mitigated. Parenting may play a critical role in buffering children from such risks, especially during early childhood; however, the mechanisms of such a role are uncertain. This study is designed to help address these gaps by meeting the following objectives: to enhance our understanding of how early childhood CVE is associated with EF, examine how indicators of positive parenting may be protective in the relationship between CVE in early childhood and EF, and qualitatively explore variation in parenting across levels of child CVE. Accordingly, Aim 1 will employ data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study and FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program, and use latent growth curve modeling to examine the relationship between rates of community violence in early childhood and EF in later childhood. Aims 2 and 3 will use data from the Testing Innovations in Positive Parenting study. Aim 2 will use path analysis to investigate the moderating effects of positive parenting (assessed through self-report data, physiologic data using respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and observational data) on the association between CVE in early childhood and EF over a 4-year time period. Using data from in-depth qualitative interviews, Aim 3 will explore differences in parenting behavior across differing levels of CVE. Completion of these aims will contribute to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the association between CVE in early childhood and EF, and the potential protective role of positive parenting. Findings will contribute to research that examines the environmental factors associated with health and well-being across the life course, by informing interventions at the interpersonal and familial level that could buffer the neurocognitive risk for children exposed to violence. The proposed training goals will help the applicant to: 1) Gain substantive knowledge in child development and public health, 2) Cultivate advanced quantitative and qualitative skills, and 3) Experience professional development opportunities essential for a successful transition to a postdoctoral fellowship or tenured track position. The applicant’s strong mentorship team and supportive training environment at Boston College will support the applicant throughout the execution of this proposal.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $34,114 )
2026	2026	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON COLLEGE	140 COMMONWEALTH AVE	CHESTNUT HILL	MA	02467	MIDDLESEX	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	9/4/2026	NEW	$34,114
														Subtotal = $34,114

Grand Total All Awards = $34,114

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Childhood exposure to violence, neurocognitive health, and the moderating role of parenting

Award Number: F31HD121342

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 02/01/2027

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 01/31/2028

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