Reducing Fetal Exposure to Maternal Depression to Improve Infant Risk Mechanisms
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Depression, Depression |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 5/10/2018 |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | March 28, 2022 |
| Contact: | Benjamin L Hankin, PhD |
| Email: | hankinb@illinois.edu |
| Phone: | 217-300-9334 |
This study evaluates Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) in the treatment of depression among
pregnant women with elevated depressive symptoms. Half of the women will be randomized to
receive IPT, and the other half will get Treat As Usual, provided via behavioral health in
the hospital.
pregnant women with elevated depressive symptoms. Half of the women will be randomized to
receive IPT, and the other half will get Treat As Usual, provided via behavioral health in
the hospital.
Exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is one of the most well established risk factors for
the development of later child psychopathology. Accumulating evidence from naturalistic
observational studies documents that fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is
associated with risk for later child mental health problems. Maternal depression is one of
the most common prenatal complications with approximately 40% of women experiencing elevated
levels of depressive symptoms. The majority of past research has been correlational, so
potential causal conclusions have been limited. This project will break new ground by testing
the hypothesis that manipulating maternal depressive symptoms will benefit infant outcomes.
In this project, maternal depressive symptoms will be reduced using brief interpersonal
therapy (IPT), a well-established and efficacious treatment, and testing whether this
reduction leads to an improvement in the development of infant mechanisms associated with
risk for later psychopathology. The investigators propose to assess 300 pregnant women who
report elevated levels of depressive symptoms and their infants. Prior to the intervention,
maternal measures of depressive symptoms will be collected. Then half of the women will be
randomized to receive IPT and the other half will receive enhanced usual care (TAU). After
completion of the intervention, maternal measures will be collected longitudinally through 14
months postpartum. Infants will be evaluated at birth and two other times. Infants will be
assessed across four units of analysis (brain structure and function, physiology, behavior,
and maternal-report).
the development of later child psychopathology. Accumulating evidence from naturalistic
observational studies documents that fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms is
associated with risk for later child mental health problems. Maternal depression is one of
the most common prenatal complications with approximately 40% of women experiencing elevated
levels of depressive symptoms. The majority of past research has been correlational, so
potential causal conclusions have been limited. This project will break new ground by testing
the hypothesis that manipulating maternal depressive symptoms will benefit infant outcomes.
In this project, maternal depressive symptoms will be reduced using brief interpersonal
therapy (IPT), a well-established and efficacious treatment, and testing whether this
reduction leads to an improvement in the development of infant mechanisms associated with
risk for later psychopathology. The investigators propose to assess 300 pregnant women who
report elevated levels of depressive symptoms and their infants. Prior to the intervention,
maternal measures of depressive symptoms will be collected. Then half of the women will be
randomized to receive IPT and the other half will receive enhanced usual care (TAU). After
completion of the intervention, maternal measures will be collected longitudinally through 14
months postpartum. Infants will be evaluated at birth and two other times. Infants will be
assessed across four units of analysis (brain structure and function, physiology, behavior,
and maternal-report).
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adult women (over 18 years of age)
- A singleton intrauterine pregnancy
- English speaking
- Elevated depressive symptoms based on screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal
Depression Scale (EPDS) with score > 9
Exclusion Criteria:
- Bipolar disorder and psychosis based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV
Axis I Disorders (SCID-NP)
- Current psychotropic medication use or current CBT/IPT usage
- An HPA axis or an endocrine disorder
- Maternal substance use [assessed using maternal report and urine toxicology
- Corticosteroid medication use during this pregnancy
- Invitto fertilization
- Presence of cervical or uterine abnormalities
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