Parental Mental Health & Early Child Development Study

Summary

The School of Psychology at the University of Lincoln are conducting research to better understand how parental mental health, neurodivergence (e.g., autism and ADHD), parenting confidence and support networks relate to children’s early emotional development.

Many parents experience anxiety, low mood, stress or uncertainty at different points in their parenting journey, and this can influence how they feel about themselves as caregivers and how children learn to regulate emotions. However, much less is known about how these experiences vary across pregnancy, infancy, toddlerhood and the preschool years, or how family support and access to services might help.

This study aims to answer the question: How do parents’ wellbeing, confidence and support relate to their child’s emotional development in the early years? They are particularly interested in whether parents with neurodivergent traits experience unique strengths or challenges, as research in this area is still limited.

They are inviting:

• Parents or caregivers who are currently pregnant (including partners), or
• Parents or caregivers of a child aged 0–5 years
• Aged 18 or over

The study involves a short anonymous online survey (15–20 minutes). Participation is voluntary, and some questions touch on sensitive topics such as mental health or parenting stress. Participants may skip questions or stop at any time.

They welcome participation from mothers, fathers, partners, adoptive parents, foster and kinship carers, and neurodivergent parents (e.g. autistic or ADHD).