Preventing Adult Mental Health Problems from Early Childhood in the Contexts of Genetic Susceptibility, Financial Strain, and Societal Stressors

Early adults are experiencing high rates of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, suicidality, and psychosis. The overall goal of the NIMH-funded R01 Early Steps Multisite parent grant is to examine the impact of randomization to receive the Family Check-Up or not, from child ages 2 to 10, on developmental pathways from early childhood to early adulthood, with a focus on mental health disorders and symptomatology in emerging adults. Aligned with the third aim of the Early Steps parent grant, “to examine the long-term preventive effects of the FCU on mental health,” this supplement proposes an extension of this aim, explicitly focusing on various aspects of living with financial stress in early childhood (caregiver income, employment, education, and anxiety around finances) as independent contributors to risk for self-reported mental health symptomology in adolescence and early adulthood, and if these relationships are mediated by maternal depression and caregiver competence in childhood, and moderated by the FCU intervention. We also plan to examine this model with mental health care utilization, for those experiencing mental health issues, in adolescence and adulthood, as the outcome. Findings from this study will contribute to the understanding of how specific aspects of growing up under financial strain may exacerbate or ameliorate mental health symptomatology in adolescence and adulthood, and how the FCU may buffer the impact of living in low-income households in childhood on later mental health and utilization of mental health care. Overall, the research and training Dr. Chirimwami will receive as part of this supplement will accelerate his transition to an independent research scientist by expanding his expertise in childhood development, the impact of the FCU intervention, longitudinal modeling, and scholarly and grant writing.