Depression, Postpartum
Conditions
Brief summary
This study, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, will examine birth and the early postpartum period (BEPP) as a transformative life experience that may shift women's experience of emotion in such ways as to a) support enhanced other-oriented emotions and b) underlie risk or resilience from psychopathology.
Detailed description
Specifically, the study will investigate the extent to which women can accurately have knowledge about and predict changes in self- and other-oriented emotion processes associated with BEPP. The investigators will also characterize the extent to which BEPP changes self- and other-oriented emotion processes and self- and other-oriented social behaviors. Further, the investigators will identify distinct trajectories of change in cognitive processes and self- and other-oriented emotion processes related to BEPP, and examine how those trajectories are associated with psychological adjustment (e.g., risk and relapse of psychopathology). Finally, the investigators will identify which particular features of BEPP are related to distinct patterns of change in self- and other-oriented emotion processes.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
John Templeton Foundation
Emory University
University of Michigan
Columbia University
Queen's University
University of Colorado, Boulder
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Over age 18 * Female * Currently pregnant - approximately no more than 34 weeks gestational age * Able to read and write in English fluently * MDD Group: Meet DSM-IV/DSM-5 criteria for at least 1 past episode of Major Depressive Disorder * MDD Group: DO NOT meet DSM-IV/DSM-5 criteria for any episodes of Major Depressive Disorder in past 2 months (currently in symptom remission)
Exclusion criteria
* Previous birth to a living child (i.e., this pregnancy is not their first child) * Imminently suicidal or homicidal * History of severe head trauma, stroke, neurological disease * History of brain tumors or surgery * Severe medical illness (e.g., autoimmune disorder, blindness, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS) * Endocrine disorders (e.g., Cushing's disease, thyroid disorder) * Alcohol/substance abuse or dependence within the past six months * Current psychotic episode (impairing ability to consent, participate, or keep patient and experimenter safe) * Inability to follow study procedures * CTL Group: Current or lifetime Axis I disorder (i.e., anxiety disorders, major depression, mania/hypomania, dysthymia, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, substance abuse/dependence, eating disorders, hypochondriasis, pain disorder, or adjustment disorders)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Occurrence of mood episodes and anxiety disorders | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via interview |
| Mood and anxiety symptoms | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via questionnaires |
| Emotion reactivity and regulation | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via questionnaires, experimental tasks, and physiological measurement |
| Empathic accuracy | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via experimental tasks |
| Prosocial behavior | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via questionnaires and experimental tasks |
| Well-being and social support | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via questionnaires |
| Parenting sensitivity, efficacy, stress, bond with infant | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | Assessed via questionnaires and behavioral observation |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed