Irene Tung

itungphan@csudh.edu

EDUCATION:

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Prenatal Stress/Early Life Stress; Child and Adolescent Mental Health; Developmental Psychopathology; Resilience and Prevention; Mental Health Equity

My research investigates how early stress exposure influences the development and transmission of mental health across generations. I am particularly interested in the role of stress and social connectedness during sensitive periods, such as pregnancy and early childhood, in shaping individuals’ responses to stress across the lifespan.

Our ongoing studies, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and American Psychological Foundation, focus on investigating the prenatal period as a critical window for enhancing daily stress resilience in both parents and their children. We are working with racially diverse groups of pregnant women to examine:

1. The impact of daily life stressors on stress physiology during pregnancy
2. The influence of family and community support systems on maternal well-being
3. The effects of maternal stress on children's early emotional outcomes

The goal of this research is to inform the development of preventative interventions that can be implemented during pregnancy and early childhood to promote mental health equity among families experiencing chronic systemic stressors.

To learn more, please visit the Promoting Early Resilience in Children's Mental Health (PERCH) Lab website: www.perchresearch.org

ResearchGate: https://researchgate.net/profile/Irene-Tung

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS:

Tung, I., Hipwell, A. E., Grosse, P., Battaglia, L. P., Quick, A. D., English, G., Cannova, E. M., Llamas, B A., Taylor, M., Foust, J. E. (2024). Prenatal stress and offspring externalizing behaviors in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 150(2), 107–131. doi:10.1037/bul0000407

Tung, I., Balaji, U., Hipwell, A. E., Low, C. A., & Smyth, J. M. (2024). Feasibility and acceptability of measuring prenatal stress in daily life using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and wearable physiological monitors. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s10865-024-00484-4

Tung, I., Keenan, K., & Hipwell, A. E. (2024). Resilience to stress during pregnancy: Biopsychosocial mechanisms and implications for offspring emotional and behavioral outcomes in toddlerhood. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/dev0001695

Tung, I., Keenan, K., & Hipwell, A. E. (2023). Adolescent mothers’ psychological wellbeing during pregnancy and infant emotional health. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 52(5), 616-632. doi:10.1080/15374416.2021.1981339

Tung, I., Krafty, R. T., Delcourt, M. L., Melhem, N., Jennings, J. R., Keenan, K., & Hipwell, A. E. (2021). Cardiac vagal control in response to acute stress during pregnancy: Associations with life stress and emotional support. Psychophysiology, 58(6), e13808. doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13808

Tung, I., Keenan, K., Stepp, S. D., & Hipwell, A. E. (2020). The moderating effects of traumatic stress on vulnerability to emotional distress during pregnancy. Development and Psychopathology, 32, 673-686. doi:10.1017/S0954579419000531 

Tung, I., Beardslee, J., Pardini, D., Chung, T., Keenan, K., & Hipwell, A. E. (2020). Adolescent childbirth, miscarriage, and abortion: Associations with changes in alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(1), 104–111. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13112 

Tung, I., Christian-Brandt, A. S., Langley, A., & Waterman, J. M. (2020). Developmental outcomes of infants adopted from foster care: Predictive associations from perinatal and preplacement risk factors. Infancy, 25(1), 84-109. doi:10.1111/infa.12319

Tung, I., Noroña, A. N., & Lee, S. S. (2019). Childhood maltreatment affects adolescent sensitivity to parenting and close friendships in predicting growth in externalizing behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 31, 1237–1253. doi: 10.1017/S0954579418000585.

Tung, I., Morgan, J. E., Noroña, A. N., & Lee, S. S. (2017). Prenatal programming of postnatal plasticity for externalizing behavior: Testing an integrated developmental model of genetic and temperamental sensitivity to the environment. Developmental Psychobiology, 59(8), 984–996. doi: 10.1002/dev.21549

TEACHING: