Academic interests
My research is focused on developmental psycopathology and how psychososcial risk is associated with individual differences in early to middle childhood. In particular my research is focused on how early adversity influence developmental psychopathology, using large scale cohort data examining prenatal stress, parental anxiety and depression and potential causal pathways influencing child development. Of particular interest in this context are the transactional mechanisms between children’s genetic liabilities and environmental influences that explain the links between behaviour problems or emotional difficulties, on the one hand, and child adjustment, on the other hand.
My current research involve examining causal mechanisms using informative designs (twin and siblings studies) to examine associations between Early environmental stress, epigenetic mechanisms, gene-environment interactions and psychopathology in early childhood to adolescents. We are currently starting up a large study on sex-specific pathways to adolescent depression financed by DAM.
I collaborate with researchers in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Brisbane, (Australia) and Qubec, Ottowa (CANADA), and the UK in understanding how early environmental stress and social relationships (family and peers) is associated with child psychopathology and resilience.
Teaching
Psyc 2410 Wechsler test (Clinical psychology)
Psy2205, Bio-Psychosocial development (BA)
Psy4205, Prevention of mental health disorder (MA)
pSY4521, Project Development, (MA)
TRACE: Early Adversity and Developmental Psychopathology (PI)To date several studies suggests that adult disorders can be traced back to early life stress, often referred to as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). Both animal and human studies have found exposure to prenatal stress to be associated with later adult disorders. Thus, investigating early risk pathways is crucial for prevention, as health-economic calculations show that initiatives introduced early in life have a greater impact on mental health, and are much cheaper, than measures that are implemented later. This projects also include examining the linkage between prenatal stress, DNA methylation at birth and child psychopathology. In addition we also have a sub-project examining Parent-of-Origins using family-child- trios. In this project we are especially interested in exploring whether indirect genetic effects can shape the development of complex traits. By investigating how parental transmission of genetic risk factors may differ in quantity and quality, we may reach better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with the trait. In the context of child psychopathology, POE may have important implications for our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that influence behaviour. In another number of related papers, TRACE examines the role of DNA Methylation at birth specificially looking at epigenetic accelerated aging or clocks. Epigenetic clocks are derived from the analysis of genome-wide DNAm data and are used to infer epigenetic measures of biological aging, the pace of aging, and the risk of various diseases. Interestingly, prenatal stress has been linked to for example early pubertal maturation a recognized risk of depression in girls. Our new project, financed by DAM will explore the biological risks related to sex-specific pathways to adolescent depression using both genetics and epigenetics. With TRACE we aim to examine Early Life Stress and child and adolescent psychopathology. TRACE use data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort study. The Project is supported by RCN Grant: 301004 and Promenta Research Centre Grant: 288083 and by DAM. Parenting practice in Norway - a mixed methods sequential explanatory study of emotion socialization (PI)Parents play a central role in children's development. Current literature offers substantial knowledge about how parental practices are linked to children's development, as well as how various parenting styles affect children's well-being and mental health. However, there's limited insight into the predominant parental practices today and the reasons behind parents' approaches. Some evidence points to the influence of parents' backgrounds on their parenting styles, including their experiences of care and abuse as children, personality, their partners' parenting styles, neighborhood factors, financial circumstances, and cultural backgrounds. Nonetheless, we still lack comprehensive understanding of the determinants of parental practices, especially the distinction between environmental and genetic factors. This project will provide groundbreaking knowledge on parenting practices in Norway, benefiting institutions like the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), practitioners, parents, and the broader research community. Our chosen themes, subjects, target demographics, and methods address existing gaps in the field. Our project will prioritize:
Covid and Friedships: Cosequences of social distancing for Adolescence during the Covid-19 pandemic. (PI)During the COVID-19 pandemic, people in Norway were encouraged to keep physical distance to persons outside the family. This study examines loneliness, gaming and social media use and contact with friends during the Covid-19 pandemic among 900 adolescence. This Project was initiated in the first weeks after the lockdown in Norway and contributes with valuable knowledge on how adolescence cope during the early part of the pandemic, about the impact of friends and social media use on mental health. The study have been financed by the Department of Psychology, UiO. The Matter of the First Friendship Study. (PI)The main objective in this study is to examine the development and matter of the first friendship in childhood and implications for later functioning as adolescents. Second we aim examine early predictors of later mental and physical health of young people (i.e. the relationship between children's behavior, quality in family and daycare). We have followed 600 children from the daycare into adolescence in two municipalities outside of Oslo. A main area of focus is on time spent outdoors and how this impacts on behaviour and attention into adolescence. The project have been financed by the Research Council of Norway and the Department of Psychology, UiO. |
Higher education and employment history
Mona has a Ph.d. in Psychology From the University of Oslo.
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Mona has been a guest researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London and Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Australia.
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Mona has experience from the working within the field of drug addiction and Psychiatry, she has also worked In School Psychology, in P.P. Services
Cooperation
Mona is collaborating with researchers from
InDepth Lab, Erasmus MC, The Nederlands.
Oxford University, Kings College London, Uk.
University of London and Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Australia. University of Ottawa, and Québec University, Canada.