Abstract

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Our first 1000 days (from conception to two years of age) are a critical window of vulnerability from exposure to stress, socio-economic and health challenges. While in the UK several national lockdowns have saved lives, secondary consequences may impart an acute and potentially enduring influence on the economic and psychological adjustment of parents, early parent-child interactions and physical growth and cognitive development of infants, well beyond the current crisis. A large international longitudinal survey is being undertaken by the Department of Psychology to better understand the impact of the pandemic on those yet to be born, hoping to understand; (i) access and attitudes towards social, medical and financial support during the COVID -19 pandemic associated with parental stress, anxiety and depression; (ii) COVID -19 related restrictions impact on the depth and breadth of social interactions that young infants experience in the first six months of life and (iii) parental mental health and social interaction experiences mediate physical, social and cognitive development in infants.