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At the University of Denver, our research is centered on people and addressing the most pressing challenges we face in every stage of life. From improving maternal mental health to positively impacting newborn health outcomes to identifying molecules that halt the progression of dementia, our work provides the tools, knowledge and technology for people to thrive at all ages. Our innovative research turns discoveries into real-world solutions that benefit our community and the world. Innovation at DU ensures that we live longer, fuller and more vibrant lives.
From improving prenatal mental health care to supporting foster youth, the University of Denver ensures a strong first step forward. By exploring the complex interplay of individual, familial and community factors that influence the critical years of infancy through adolescence, DU faculty are enhancing how we approach these crucial developmental stages of life.
New DU research underscores the importance of mental health care for pregnant people, recognizing that treating depression during pregnancy can lead to longer gestation time and healthier babies.
“Being born early — shortened gestation — is one of the most widely known risk factors for a number of different child developmental outcomes,” says psychology professor Elysia Davis, who led the study alongside researchers at Denver Health and CU Anschutz.
They found that participants who were assigned to psychotherapy experienced greater reductions in depressive symptoms. In turn, the reduction of maternal depression across pregnancy was associated with lengthened gestation.
These findings reinforce the importance of expanding access to prenatal mental health resources to promote lifelong health benefits for both mothers and their children.
As Davis says, mental health and physical health are strongly correlated. So taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health during pregnancy, for you and for your baby. Here are five ways you can improve your mental health when you’re expecting:
Just as the mental health of pregnant people can impact unborn babies, parents’ childhood experiences can have a profound effect on their growing children.
In the Promoting Resilience in Offspring and Targeting Early Childhood Trajectories (PROTECT) Lab, DU researchers study the intergenerational transmission of risk and resilience.
Led by Angela Narayan, an associate professor of psychology, the PROTECT Lab is exploring how “benevolent childhood experiences” (BCEs) can protect against trauma and adversity. Narayan’s research suggests that recovering from past traumatic events and fostering positive experiences can help break cycles of intergenerational trauma, offering a pathway to resilience for both children and parents.
“The driving, burning question that propels my work is, ‘What are the resilience factors that help people and parents overcome hardships and raise the healthiest kids and families,’” Narayan says.
Her work demonstrates that parents who recall their own positive childhood experiences are more likely to create nurturing environments for their children. This insight has led to interventions that encourage individuals to identify and build upon positive experiences, whether in therapy, education or community programs.
By shifting the focus from mitigating negative childhood experiences to actively promoting positive ones, Narayan’s research offers a promising framework for improving mental health and family well-being across generations.
Focusing on positive childhood experiences can help parents create a nurturing environment for their children. Here are five ways parents can concentrate on these positive experiences:
Outside of the lab, DU faculty are turning their research into evidence-based action.
Students in foster care are precariously situated in the K-12 landscape. Instability in a student’s home and school life disrupts the consistent supportive structures that are crucial to academic success. That’s why only 30% of Colorado’s students in foster care will graduate alongside their peers this year.
To address this gap, Elysia Versen, now deputy director and chief operating officer at DU’s Colorado Lab, developed Fostering Opportunities — a student engagement intervention that is the first proven practice in Colorado to improve educational outcomes for students in foster care. The multi-year partnership between Colorado Lab and Jeffco Public Schools was developed and tested through the first state-funded Pay for Success Project in Colorado.
The key difference between Fostering Opportunities and existing support is that educational agencies lead the interventions, rather than child welfare or judicial systems. This approach ensures continuity of service after a child returns home or is adopted and their child welfare case closes.
“Just because their child welfare case closes, or they’re reunified with their families and the student is safe to live at home, doesn’t mean that their academics are stabilized and they’re doing really well in school,” says Versen. “We wanted to essentially bridge that gap and ensure that the student remains eligible for this program as long as they need it.”
A randomized control trial led by Colorado Lab researchers found that Fostering Opportunities led to better grades, increased attendance and fewer suspensions for students.
The evidence-based success of the program prompted the state to reimburse the Colorado Gives Foundation for their initial investment, and the Colorado Lab is now providing implementation science support to help school districts deliver the model with fidelity.
In Denver’s low-income and subsidized housing communities, DU’s Your Family, Your Neighborhood (YFYN) program has helped hundreds of families strengthen their relationships and community ties since its inception in 2012. The program recently received a $160,000 grant from the Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program, allowing it to continue its dual-generation after-school initiatives.
YFYN brings families together for weekly sessions that include shared meals, educational activities and discussions on parenting strategies. Parents participate in skill-building workshops, while children engage in programs designed to enhance social-emotional development.
YFYN has been tested through a feasibility study, pilot study, a quasi-experimental study and a group randomized control trial. These studies demonstrate that the initiative led to increased parental engagement in schools, stronger parent-child relationships and improved connections within the community.
“We would love the program to be adopted in new subsidized housing communities throughout the Denver area, throughout Colorado and throughout the country,” says Daniel Brisson, the director of DU’s Center on Housing and Homelessness.
Drawing on the success of YFYN in Denver, a feasibility and acceptability study of YFYN was launched with the Paradise Valley School District in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2019. Preliminary findings indicate improvements in parent-child relationships, including parents feeling closer to their children, improved communication, families spending more time together, and eating dinner together more often.
Through innovative research and community-driven initiatives, DU influences healthier futures for children and families. But what happens when children reach their late teens and twenties? As kids gain independence, DU researchers are uncovering the challenges and opportunities that shape the next pivotal stage of life: young adulthood.
Improving the parent-child relationship is crucial for fostering a supportive and nurturing environment. Here are five ways parents can strengthen their bond with their children while also strengthening ties to the community:
Read more about our impact through the different phases of life
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