My research is focused on infant mental health and the role of family chronic stress especially stress related to immigration on infants’ outcomes in terms of stress and development. I want to help newcomers’ families to acculturate in order to provide the best nurturing environment for their children

Program of Research

My work has focused on the impact of parents’ stress, depression, and trauma on infants (6-24 months old) as well as older children (7-18 years) among refugee and immigrant families of Arabic descent. My research is focusing on examining symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, parenting, coparenting, as well as behavioral and biological correlates. We use self-reported measures of psychosocial factors and behavioral development. Additionally, we collect buccal swabs to measure telomere length and hair samples to measure cortisol levels among our study participants. In November 2020, my team and I received funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for our R03 study entitled “Family Stress, Coparenting, and Infant Development among Immigrant Arab American Families”. Additionally, we have received the 2021 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) NARSAD Young Investigator Grant for our study titled: “Psychobiological Factors Affecting Mental Health among Immigrant and Refugee Parents and their Children.” Understanding the effects of migration-related stressors on parents and children is imperative for articulating risk and protective factors influencing infant and children’s outcomes. My long-term goal is to guide the development of interventions to prevent the negative effects of family stress (maternal and paternal) on their children.

My work has focused on the impact of parents’ stress, depression, and trauma on infants (6-24 months old) as well as older children (7-18 years) outcomes among refugee and immigrant families. Focusing on the impact of trauma on psychobiological development and behavioral outcomes among children of refugees and immigrants. My research is focusing on examining symptoms of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as behavioral and telomere length correlates. We use self-reported measures of anxiety, depression and PTSD, buccal telomere length samples, and children behavioral outcomes. My recent work will compare a group of immigrant children and a group of refugee children along with their parents in both groups. This will enhance our understanding and advance efforts to improve children outcomes and reduce the risk for mental health problems associated with childhood trauma.

 

Current Research

• 2020-current: Khalil, D. Principal Investigator – Family stress, coparenting, and infant development among immigrant Arab American families. Co-Investigators: Giurgescu, C., Beeghly, M., Misra,D., & Templin, T. Funded by: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health Award ($161,451)
• Jan 2022- current: Khalil (PI), Javanbakht (Co-I), and Templin (Co-I). Psychobiological Factors Affecting Mental Health among Immigrant and Refugee Parents and their Children. Funded by the 2021 Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) NARSAD Young Investigator Grant ($64,854.00)
• 2021- current: Khalil (PI), Javanbakht (Co-I), and Templin (Co-I). Psychobiological Factors Affecting Mental Health among Refugee Children and their Parents. Funded by the 2021 SBDH Research Stimulus Program, Wayne State Univerity ($20,000)
• 2022-current: Khalil, D., Principal Investigator – Health literacy and postpartum depression among African American women. Co-Principal Investigator: Audritsh, N. Funded by: WSU CON Cross-Area Collaborative PhD/DNP Faculty Award ($3,500)
• 2022-current Khalil, D. Principal Investigator – Family stress, coparenting, and infant development among immigrant Arab American families. Co-Investigators: Giurgescu, C., Beeghly, M., Misra,D., & Templin, T. Funded by: Dr. Judith Fry McComish and Philip A. McComish Endowed Research Award ($1,500)

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