Obesity &Amp;Amp; Overweight, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Conditions
Brief summary
It is both timely and important to invest in interventions that can improve healthy emotional co-regulation. It is proposed to evaluate the feasibility and limited efficacy of an adapted, brief, multimodal intervention: ECoFam (Emotional connection and Co-regulation for Families). Evidence from the US suggests intervention effects on maternal and infant outcomes that are large in effect size (i.e., Cohen's d \>0.6 for increasing emotional connection and decreasing maternal depressive symptoms) (21-23). The study results will directly translate evidence into practice and, if found feasible, allow rapid scaling-up. Objectives: 1. Build capacity for implementation of a novel diagnostic screening tool for emotional co-regulation, the uWECS, as part of clinical follow-up for mother-infant dyads with high fibrobesity risk in Finland. 2. Test the feasibility and limited efficacy of the brief, multimodal ECoFam intervention to foster healthy emotional co-regulation between mothers with PCOS and obesity and their infants.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALECoFam
Mother-infant dyads randomized into the intervention group receive four personal coaching sessions to facilitate emotional connection via multisensory channels including comfort touch and communication of face-to-face affect during holding time.
Sponsors
University of Oulu
Oulu University Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of PCOS * Obesity according to BMI * Gave birth at Oulu University Hospital in 2024-25 * PEPPI cohort study participation * uWECS emotional connection score \<9.0 at pre-test
Exclusion criteria
\- Infant death
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Welch Emotional Connection Screen (uWECS) | From enrollment to the end of intervention and follow-up at 4 months | Emotional connection evaluated with the uWECS |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mothers' mental health problems | From enrollment to end of intervention and follow-up 4 months | Mothers' mental health problems are assessed with a range of standardized questionnaires using RedCap; higher scores mean worse outcomes. |
Countries
Finland
Contacts
Primary ContactJulia Jaekel, PhD
Outcome results
None listed