Brief Description of Research:

The Developmental Psychobiology Research Centre (DPRC) is led by Dr. Jennifer Khoury and her team at Mount Saint Vincent University. In the DPRC we seek to understand how early life experiences influence biological, psychological, and social development. We take an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach to examine the impact of early experiences on the brain and behaviour in both parents and children, beginning during the prenatal period and spanning to later childhood. We examine several aspects of early experiences and early life stress that can impact parent and child wellbeing, including the family environment, caregiving behaviour, parent wellbeing and mental health, adverse childhood experiences, and broader socioeconomic factors. We are interested in promoting parent mental health and wellbeing, particularly during the perinatal period. We also study different aspects of child functioning, such as stress regulation, emotion regulation, and social-emotional development. To carry out this research, we use a variety of methodologies and techniques, including biological stress markers, brain imaging, direct behavioural observation, longitudinal study designs and meta-analyses. The ultimate goal of this research is to better understand the diverse biopsychosocial factors that impact parents and children, so to promote parent wellbeing and healthy child development.

At the DPRC we are committed to mentoring and training students; we welcome inquiries from prospective undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.  

Active Research Projects

This research is funded by: