Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Pregnant Women

NCT03938350 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2022-09-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The cumulative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to prolonged activation of stress response systems, known as toxic stress. Toxic stress is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to socioeconomic and racial health disparities that emerge in early childhood and may persist across generations. African American women experience significant disparities in maternal and infant mortality, some of which may be attributable to toxic stress. The toxic stress response may increase risk factors for maternal and infant morbidity and mortality such as high-levels of stress hormones, high blood pressure, maternal PTSD and depression. Further, heightened maternal stress responses in pregnancy are associated with heightened infant stress responses, increasing the risk for the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress. Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression and PTSD, are cost-effective, and scalable in diverse settings. Implementing mindfulness interventions for African American pregnant women with histories of ACEs and current depression and/or PTSD symptoms is novel and has the potential to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of toxic stress by improving maternal stress response and mental health. This study is a pilot, randomized controlled trial where participants will receive either Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training for 8 weeks (delivered virtually) or treatment as usual.

Conditions

  • Perinatal Depression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training

Standard DBT skills training is a comprehensive intervention for emotion dysregulation that includes four skills modules: (1) mindfulness skills; (2) emotion regulation skills; (3) interpersonal effectiveness skills; and (4) distress tolerance skills designed to target adaptive skills deficits that define emotion dysregulation. The sessions will be delivered virtually via a HIPAA-compliant video platform.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Emory University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Abigail Lott, PhD · Emory University

  • Briana Woods-Jaeger, PhD · Emory University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-10-16
Primary Completion
2022-09-09
Completion
2022-09-09

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03938350 on ClinicalTrials.gov