Faculty Directory

Margaret Briggs-Gowan, Ph.D., is a Developmental Psychologist with special expertise in the social-emotional development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. She is a Developmental Psychologist, with additional training in epidemiology and public health, as well as early childhood mental health. Her early childhood research centers on enhancing our understanding of the nature of mental health problems in young children, identifying risk factors, and pinpointing underlying genetic, stress-response, and neurocognitive factors involved in these processes.

Education

Degree	Institution	Major
Ph.D.	Yale University	Developmental Psychology
M.Phil.	Yale University	Developmental Psychology
M.S.	Yale University	Developmental Psychology
A.B.	Brown University	Psychology

Post-Graduate Training

Training	Institution	Specialty
Fellowship	NIMH	Post-Doctoral Fellow, Mental Health Services Research

Awards

Name of Award/Honor	Awarding Organization
Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring Child Mental Health Research, Scholarly and Academic Activities	Child Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry, UCHC
Jane C. Bourns Award for Excellence, recognizing significant contributions to the field of infant/early childhood mental health.	Connecticut Association for Infant Mental Health
Solnit Fellowship Award, Leadership Development Initiative	ZERO TO THREE

Name & Description	Category	Role	Type	Scope	Start Year	End Year
NIMH Risk Prevention and Health Behavior Integrated Review Group: Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)	Study Section	Member	External	National	2012	2018
National Institute of Mental Health: ZRG1 RPHB-P Special Emphasis Panel/Scientific Review Group	Study Section	Ad Hoc Reviewer	External	National	2011	2011
Workshop on Child Maltreatment and Trauma: Integrating Biological, Cognitive, and Social Trajectories of Development: National Institute of Mental Health	NIMH Workgroup	Presenter and Co-Organizer	External	National	2010	2010
ZMHI-ERB-C (A3) NIMH Grand Opportunities (GO): Neurodevelopmental Genomics: National Institute of Mental Health	Study Section	Ad hoc reviewer	External	National	2009	2009
Connecticut Infant Mental Health Association	Community Service	Vice President	Other	State	2006	2011
National Institute of Mental Health Task Force on Functional Impairment in Children: National Institute of Mental Health	NIH Taskforce	Lead Team Member and Workshop Participant	External	National	2004	2006
Young Child Assessment Roundtable: Approaches and Future Directions in Mental Health: National Institute of Mental Health	NIMH Workgroup	Member	External	National	2003	2003

Much of Dr. Briggs-Gowan's research has focused on improving how we understand and identify social-emotional and behavioral problems in young children. She is co-author, with Alice S. Carter, Ph.D., of the Infant-Toddler Social & Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) and Brief-ITSEA (BITSEA), nationally normed tools for assessing social-emotional/behavioral problems and delays in competencies in infants and toddlers. Dr. Briggs-Gowan also studies how environmental factors, such as stress, violence, and exposure to traumatic events, affect the development and well-being of young children. She is currently Principal Investigator of an NIMH-funded study of the roles of stress and conflict on preschool children's development (in collaboration with Dr. Lauren Wakschlag at Northwestern University in Chicago). This study will provide important new insights into how exposure to stress and conflict in early life may influence children's development both in terms of their ability to identify different emotions and how their brain's respond to emotional stimuli. She also collaborates with Dr. Wakschlag on research focused on disruptive behavior in preschool children, including a recent paper that shed light on the nature of temper tantrums in 3- to 5-year-olds. Locally, Dr. Briggs-Gowan leads the research team of Child FIRST, a comprehensive, home-based intervention for high risk families with young children, developed by Darcy Lowell, M.D. This evidence-based intervention model is being dissemintated at a number of sites throughout Connecticut.

There may be volunteer opportunities available. Interested individuals may contact Dr. Briggs-Gowan by email.

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

Title or Abstract	Type	Sponsor/Event	Date/Year	Location
Greene C. et al., (2015, May). Maternal risk and protective factors in the relationship between mothers’ maltreatment history and their preschool children’s functioning	Talk	27th Annual Convention for the Association for Psychological Science	2015	New York, NY
Grasso D. et al. (2015). Constellations of child-directed and partner violence among families with preschoolers and associated risk.	Talk	27th Annual Convention for the Association for Psychological Science	2015	New York, NY
Gray et al. (2015). How does caregiver insightfulness relate to child outcomes among violence-exposed and non-exposed young children?	Talk	Meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development	2015	Philadelphia, PA
Shah A, Grasso D J, Wakschlag LS, Anderson E, Ford JD, & Briggs-Gowan MJ (2014, October). Childhood exposure to potentially traumatic events: Effects on PTSD symptoms and sex differences.	Poster	American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	2014	San Francisco, CA
Nichols et al. (2013). Developmental Components of Low Concern as Facets of Preschool Disruptive Behavior: Disregard for Others’ Distress and Resistance to Discipline	Talk	Society for Research in Child Development	2013	Seattle, Washington
Briggs-Gowan et al. (2012). Preschool Psychopathology: Exploring the Roles of Violence-Exposure and Emotion-Processing	Talk	Anxiety Disorders Association of America	2012	Crystal Park, Virginia
Grasso et al. (2012). Early Trauma Exposure and Stress Sensitization in Young Children	Talk	International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies	2012	Los Angeles, California
Family Violence Effects in Early Childhood: Early-Emerging Sex Differences in Conduct and Anxiety Symptoms	Talk	Society for Research in Child Development	2011	Quebec, Canada
Family Violence Effects in Early Childhood: Early-Emerging Sex Differences in Anxiety	Talk	Anxiety Disorders Association of America	2011	New Orleans, Louisiana
The Effects of Different Types of Trauma Exposure on Cognitive and Language Functioning in Toddlers	Poster	American Psychological Association	2011	Washington D.C.
The Effects of Trauma on Young Children: A Webinar Facilitating Awareness of Young Children’s Mental Health	Talk	Pearson Assessments	2010	San Antonio, Texas