Professor Barbara White, Department of Occupational Therapy, received one of the 2005-06 CIE Faculty International Travel grants funded by the VPAA.

Professor White is studying the potential effects of stress on child development. In June, she traveled to London, England, to meet with Dr. Vivette Glover, a professor at Imperial College and a researcher at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology. Her report follows.

Stress is such a pervasive word in our language that it seems easily understood. However, the human stress response is a complicated matter, and highly individualized based on the nature of threat, one’s perceptions of threat, and one’s resources to deal with the threat. Some threats are short-lived (a near miss with a car while crossing the street), while others long-lasting (a destructive romantic relationship). Some threats are real (work deadlines) while some are imagined (ruminating over “what-ifs”). Some threats are in our control (being prepared for exams) while others are not (traffic jams).

While a certain amount of stress is good for us....keeps us on our toes, helps us be productive and have good memories, for example, chronic stress that never or rarely subsides can be harmful. Indeed, chronic stress is associated with a host of medical conditions from low back pain to cancer, and heart disease. Current research in both animal models and in humans, suggests that chronic stress during pregnancy may affect infant and child outcomes. Some of the outcomes associated with chronic stress in pregnancy include low birth weight, and smaller head circumferences as well as learning difficulties and behavioral problems in childhood.

Recent research has associated maternally reported high stress pregnancies with greater incidences of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. While the mechanisms for how stress affects the fetus are not entirely understood, stress physiologists are noting that stress hormones both crossing the placenta as well as affecting the vascularization of the placenta, probably play mediating roles.

I am interested in the potential effects of stress on child development, and even more interested in learning if we can intervene early, during pregnancy, with women who report high perceived stress. I am part of a collaborative group of faculty researchers at UNH who this past spring were given Presidential Excellence Award funds to initiate a pregnancy stress reduction project.

In order to refine the project on stress reduction intervention as well as to establish the beginnings of a possible research relationship, I met with Dr. Vivette Glover in London this past June. Dr. Glover is a professor at Imperial College and is a researcher at the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology. Her research is extensive in the area of stress physiology and human development. I was able to see the Institute, meet a variety of students working on different projects, and visit with Dr. Glover at the Instutute, located on the grounds of Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s Hospitals in London.

Dr. Glover’s input has been invaluable in shaping our pilot research project that will be launched sometime this fall. Meeting with a colleague face-to-face and spending time discussing areas of interest and expertise was far more effective than emails in establishing a connection that I hope will be enduring!