Jennifer E. Khoury

Dr. Khoury is an Assistant Professor at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research adopts an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach to understand how early life stress impacts the brain and behaviour of parents and children, at different stages of development. Early life stress encompasses circumstances such as abuse and neglect, parental mental health, and caregiving difficulties, which can adversely impact child development.

Dr. Khoury's research examines both typical and atypical development, spanning from the prenatal period to adulthood, using experimental, observational, and clinical research methods as well as meta-analyses. Much of this research includes longitudinal studies which examine neurobiological stress and emotion regulation, in parents and children. She studies stress responses primarily through physiological markers, including the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as through brain imaging techniques. Stress and emotional regulation are important contributors to child developmental outcomes, including developmental psychopathology. Thus, understanding these processes can inform research and practice to reduce adverse effects on child health and development.