Author: Lauren Mathews | Major: Biology | Semester: Fall 2023

My name is Lauren Mathews, and I am a senior in the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences. I am studying Biology with a minor in Psychology. I am conducting my research under the mentorship of Dr. Anastasia Makhanova. I first received the research grant in the Fall of 2023 and am excited to complete my research and defend my thesis this Spring. After graduation, I will attend the University of Kansas School of Medicine in July. My research focuses on the effects of fathers’ stress levels during pregnancy on infant birth weight.

Although past research has outlined several links between maternal stress levels throughout pregnancy and infant birth weight, prior research has not examined whether paternal stress levels are associated with low birth weight in infants. In my research, I am examining the effect of fathers’ self-reported stress levels at 27-32 weeks of pregnancy on infant birth weight. Based on prior research, we anticipate that mothers’ elevated stress levels, which are assessed by a standardized measurement, will be associated with low birth weight in infants. I also predict that the father’s high stress levels will be associated with the mother’s elevated stress levels at the same time. This prediction is based on the dyadic theory of stress. Finally, I will examine whether the father’s stress levels impact the infant’s birth weight.

As a soon-to-be medical student interested in both pediatrics and obstetrics, I chose this research topic because couples are often given an overwhelming amount of advice during the prenatal period. Most of the advice is centered around changes in diet or lifestyle for the pregnant person. However, individuals do not exist in a vacuum. The impact partners have on each other during pregnancy is often understudied and underappreciated. Given that the research supports the advice, I believe it would be beneficial for both couples and their children if physicians could evaluate and advise expecting parents holistically.

I began working as a research assistant in the SPARK Lab under the leadership of Dr. Makhanova in the Spring of 2022. I chose this lab because I was interested in social psychology and wanted to explore my minor more, and I appreciated the interdisciplinary work that they did by using biological assays in their studies. Additionally, two of their ongoing research projects centered around studying both women’s and expecting parents’ hormones which aligned with my previously stated career goals. My thesis was developed through my work on the Transition to Parenthood study which examines how changes in hormones during this important transition period affect individuals’ perceptions of themselves and their partners. Previously, I worked on a study examining the influence of hormonal contraceptives on women’s behavior and motivations. As a research assistant, I have scheduled sessions, conducted participant sessions, trained research assistants, piloted studies, and engaged in discussions of relevant scientific articles.

I believe that joining the lab during my sophomore year was very beneficial because I was able to begin running sessions and attending lab meetings where we discussed current ongoing studies and pre-existing relevant research. I was also able to listen to older lab members practice defending their own honors theses. All these opportunities prepared me to choose a research topic that I was interested in and relevant to the other research that the lab was conducting. The guidance of Dr. Makhanova has been incredibly helpful throughout the research and grant approval process. Since receiving the research grant, we have been able to add additional measures like video coding to support the research and findings of the Parenthood study.