Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group at Columbia University-New York State Psychiatric Institute

The Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group (CPEG) is a multidisciplinary (including epidemiology, psychology, medical geography, psychiatry, etc.) research group, focused on understanding the development of psychiatric disorders and substance use by studying children as they mature. CPEG is part of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI), 1051 Riverside Drive. NYSPI is a joint venture of Columbia University and New York State. Professor Christina W. Hoven, DrPH, MPH leads the group.

Research is conducted both nationally and internationally, with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIDA, NIMH, NICHD, etc.), CDC, the European Union, and more. The objectives of our investigations are to produce population-based knowledge that is generalizable, and inclusive of underserved and high-need groups, especially those of high public health relevance. A primary focus is the transmission of trauma from parent to child. Much of the research is with minority children living in an underserved context (such as the South Bronx). Current, ongoing, research seeks to answer questions regarding children who were exposed to disaster (both directly and indirectly) or other difficult life circumstances such as having a parent involved with the criminal justice system. Present studies are being conducted in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.

CPEG is also actively involved internationally, most recently in Israel, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, Tajikistan, Jordan, and Brazil, in addition to 11 European countries, including 4 in Eastern Europe. The foci of these often large-scale epidemiological investigations vary, but always have the psychological well-being of children as the primary agenda, and include randomized control trials, examination of factors related to suicide and deliberate self-harm, child mental health awareness, and childhood trauma resulting from war.