Faculty profile

Leslie Atkinson

ResearcherToronto Metropolitan University

This profile is built from public research funding records (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and PubMed. We have not imported them from a Toronto Metropolitan University directory, so their courses may be missing. Find their university profile.

Leslie Atkinson

Researcher

Social Sciences and Humanities

Toronto Metropolitan University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Has led research grants, which requires an independent research appointment. Ask their department whether they supervise graduate students.
30 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 7 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 3 research grants (3 SSHRC), most recently in 2016.
Supervisor on 3 trainee awards (3 CIHR), most recently in 2014.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

1,707

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

cumulative risk cumulative outcome risk mediation child development family

Latest papers

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, and Child Socioemotional Problems Over the First Three Years of Life
Child Maltreatment · 2026 · senior author
Relations between pregnancy insomnia, relationship conflict, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: From pregnancy through early parenthood
Journal of Affective Disorders · 2026
A 12‐Month Trial‐Based Economic Evaluation Comparing Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and Circle of Security Parenting Program (COSP) Versus Treatment as Usual for Families With Young Children (2–6 Years)
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice · 2026

All 79 publications

Latest funding

Pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic: Continuing a longitudinal study examining the impact of chronic prenatal stress on child biopsychosocial outcomes at ages 5 and 6
CIHR · 2024 · Co-investigator
$149,232
Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN): Youth mental health mental in the COVID pandemic
CIHR · 2021 · Co-investigator
$149,974
Identifying COVID-related mental health problems and resiliency in youth to inform intervention policy from pre-pandemic levels of maternal environmental adversity and mood: The Maternal Adversity Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study
CIHR · 2021 · Co-investigator
$500,000

All 14 grants and awards

79 publications.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, and Child Socioemotional Problems Over the First Three Years of Life

Khoury JE, Jambon M, Pattison M, Gonzalez A, Atkinson L

Child Maltreatment20261 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1177/10775595251370683

Relations between pregnancy insomnia, relationship conflict, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: From pregnancy through early parenthood

Oates-Johnson M, Pattison M, Giles L, Cormier I, Gonzalez A, Atkinson L, Khoury JE

Journal of Affective Disorders2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.122356

A 12‐Month Trial‐Based Economic Evaluation Comparing Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and Circle of Security Parenting Program (COSP) Versus Treatment as Usual for Families With Young Children (2–6 Years)

Tarride JE, Blackhouse G, Harvey‐Younis N, Rieder AD, Melendez‐Torres GJ, Joshi D, Demy J, MacMillan H, Attard C, Jack SM

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice2026

DOI: 10.1111/jep.70567

Is there experimental evidence for the effectiveness of disciplinary spanking? A review and Meta-analysis of four controlled trials

Atkinson L, Khoury J, Kenny M, Gonzalez A

Child Abuse and Neglect2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.107945

The role of prenatal perceived stress and hair cortisol as they relate to toddler socioemotional outcomes over the first three years

Khoury JE, Giles L, Atkinson L, Gonzalez A

Psychoneuroendocrinology20255 citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107251

Attachment expectations moderate links between social support and maternal adjustment from 6 to 18 months postpartum.

Gu Y, Waters TEA, Zhu V, Jamieson B, Lim D, Schmitt G, Atkinson L

Development and Psychopathology20255 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423001657

Examining cross-lag associations between perceived stress and hair cortisol from pregnancy to 15 months postpartum

Khoury JE, Jambon M, Gonzalez A, Atkinson L

Psychoneuroendocrinology20252 citationsSenior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107556

History of childhood maltreatment, prenatal cortisol levels, and executive functioning: A cross-sectional study using data from the Healthy Foundations Study

De Rubeis V, Wang E, Joshi D, Catherine N, MacMillan HL, Waddell C, Boyle M, Tonmyr L, Atkinson L, Jack SM

Child Abuse and Neglect2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107602

Improving research and clinical interventions for maternal depression during pregnancy.

Levitan RD, Atkinson L, Matthews SG

American journal of obstetrics and gynecology2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2024.09.106 PMID: 39357588

A longitudinal study examining the associations between prenatal and postnatal maternal distress and toddler socioemotional developmental during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Khoury JE, Atkinson L, Gonzalez A

Infancy20248 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1111/infa.12584 PMID: W4391655933

Pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic: Continuing a longitudinal study examining the impact of chronic prenatal stress on child biopsychosocial outcomes at ages 5 and 6

Co-investigatorCIHR2024Operating Grant: ECRs in Human Development, Child and Youth Health

Principal investigators: Khoury, Jennifer E

Keywords: Child Health; Cortisol; Maternal Stress; Parenting; Prenatal Stress; Psychosocial Development; Stress Biomarkers; Telomeres

$149,232

Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN): Youth mental health mental in the COVID pandemic

Co-investigatorCIHR2021Op Gr:Understanding/mitigating impacts of COVID-19 on children, youth & families

Principal investigators: Wazana, Ashley; St-André, Martin

Keywords: Covid; Early Environment; Genetic Susceptibility; Maternal Adversity; Mental Health; Resilience; Stress

$149,974

Identifying COVID-related mental health problems and resiliency in youth to inform intervention policy from pre-pandemic levels of maternal environmental adversity and mood: The Maternal Adversity Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study

Co-investigatorCIHR2021Op. Gr.: Addr. Wider Impacts of COVID-Imp. on social/econ/pop iss/pbl outcomes

Principal investigators: Wazana, Ashley; Rozenberg, Mira; Tresierra, Millie; Choudhury, Suparna

Keywords: Covid; Developmental Trajectories; Early Life Exposure; Genetic Susceptibility; Maternal Environmental Adversity; Maternal Mood; Youth And Mother Mental Health; Youth And Mother Resiliency

$500,000

Canadian Stress Research Summit: Stress Across the Lifespan: From risk to management

Co-investigatorCIHR2019Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Principal investigators: Fiocco, Alexandra J

Keywords: Biomarkers; Clinical Applications; Diversity; Lifespan Approach; Mental Health; Neuroscience; Prevention; Risk And Resilience; Stress; Stress-Related Disorders

$18,000

Cumulative risk cumulative outcome and mediated nets of adversity

Principal investigatorSSHRC2016Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Atkinson, Leslie

Keywords: cumulative risk; cumulative outcome; risk; mediation; child development; family

$206,727

Maternal history of childhood maltreatment: identification of parental influences on the development of child executive function and emotion regulation

Co-investigatorSSHRC2015Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Gonzalez, Andrea

Keywords: parenting; executive function; child development; emotion regulation

$140,102

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease through an intervention lens: Examination of mechanism, outcomes and prevention.

Co-investigatorCIHR2015Team Grant: DOHaD - Implications for Men, Women, Boys and Girls - LOI

Principal investigators: Gonzalez, Andrea

Keywords: Epigenetics; Global Health; Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Axis; Immune Function; Maternal And Child Health; Microbiome; Parenting; Prenatal Adversity; Preventive Interventions; Sex Differences

Maternal Depression and Infant Cortisol Secretion: The Moderating Influences of Infant Genotype and Attachment Security

SupervisorCIHR2014Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Ludmer, Jaclyn A

Keywords: Attachment; Developmental Psychopathology; Diathesis Stress; Differential Susceptibility; Gene-Environment Interactions; Genetics; Infancy; Maternal Depression; Strange Situation Procedure; Stress Physiology

$105,000

The impact of a home visitation intervention on biological outcomes in infants exposed to psychosocial adversity: A longitudinal evaluation.

Co-investigatorCIHR2013Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Gonzalez, Andrea; Macmillan, Harriet L; McGowan, Patrick O

Keywords: Biological Embedding; Biological Mechanisms; Child And Maternal Health; Epigenetics; Hpa Function; Prenatal Adversity; Preventive Interventions; Psychosocial Adversity

$955,022

Cumulative risk, cumulative outcome: meta-analysis and model generation

Principal investigatorSSHRC2012Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Atkinson, Leslie

Keywords: child development; cumulative risk

$37,816

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

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Leslie Atkinson

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pregnancy and Postpartum Depressive Symptoms, and Child Socioemotional Problems Over the First Three Years of Life

Relations between pregnancy insomnia, relationship conflict, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: From pregnancy through early parenthood

A 12‐Month Trial‐Based Economic Evaluation Comparing Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and Circle of Security Parenting Program (COSP) Versus Treatment as Usual for Families With Young Children (2–6 Years)

Is there experimental evidence for the effectiveness of disciplinary spanking? A review and Meta-analysis of four controlled trials

The role of prenatal perceived stress and hair cortisol as they relate to toddler socioemotional outcomes over the first three years

Attachment expectations moderate links between social support and maternal adjustment from 6 to 18 months postpartum.

Examining cross-lag associations between perceived stress and hair cortisol from pregnancy to 15 months postpartum

History of childhood maltreatment, prenatal cortisol levels, and executive functioning: A cross-sectional study using data from the Healthy Foundations Study

Improving research and clinical interventions for maternal depression during pregnancy.

A longitudinal study examining the associations between prenatal and postnatal maternal distress and toddler socioemotional developmental during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic: Continuing a longitudinal study examining the impact of chronic prenatal stress on child biopsychosocial outcomes at ages 5 and 6

Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN): Youth mental health mental in the COVID pandemic

Identifying COVID-related mental health problems and resiliency in youth to inform intervention policy from pre-pandemic levels of maternal environmental adversity and mood: The Maternal Adversity Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Study

Canadian Stress Research Summit: Stress Across the Lifespan: From risk to management

Cumulative risk cumulative outcome and mediated nets of adversity

Maternal history of childhood maltreatment: identification of parental influences on the development of child executive function and emotion regulation

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease through an intervention lens: Examination of mechanism, outcomes and prevention.

Maternal Depression and Infant Cortisol Secretion: The Moderating Influences of Infant Genotype and Attachment Security

The impact of a home visitation intervention on biological outcomes in infants exposed to psychosocial adversity: A longitudinal evaluation.

Cumulative risk, cumulative outcome: meta-analysis and model generation

Frequent collaborators

Andrea Gonzalez

Harriet MacMillan

Teresa Bennett

Susan Jack

Ashley Wazana

Robert Levitan

Brittany Jamieson

Mario Masellis

Melissa Kimber

James Kennedy

Eric Duku

Marc Jambon

Michael Escobar

Heather Prime

John Lydon

Nicole Catherine

Magdalena Janus

Eszter Szekely

Charlotte Waddell

Christine Wekerle

Michael Boyle

Jennifer Khoury

Alyssa Counsell