Anxiety & Depression Association of America

A Postpartum Adaptation Study of the Connecting and Reflecting Experience Parenting Program

Purpose

Experiencing postpartum mood and/or anxiety disorders (like postpartum depression; PMADs) can make parenting challenging, but group therapy may help both these parents and their babies. This study will test whether postpartum parents with PMADs find a 12-session parenting group therapy to be likable, doable, and helpful for mental health, parenting stress, and relationship with their infant. The therapy that is being tested is called the Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) parenting program, which has not yet been used specifically with postpartum parents with PMADs, but has been found to be appealing and helpful among parents/caregivers of older children with mental health conditions. CARE focuses on parents' ability to consider how their own and their children's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and other mental states shape behavior and parent-child relationships. Participants in the study will be asked to fill out surveys before, during, and after participating in the group therapy. Adults may be eligible to participate in the study if they gave birth to an infant who is now 3 to 12 months old, are receiving postpartum medical and/or mental health care at Montefiore Medical Center, and have experienced postpartum depression and/or anxiety.

Conditions

Postpartum Depression
Postpartum Anxiety
Parenting Stress
Parent Child Relationships

Eligibility

Eligible Ages: Between 18 Years and 70 Years
Eligible Genders: Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Inclusion Criteria

Birthing parent (of any gender) of an infant age 3-12 months old at baseline - Receiving postpartum OB/GYN or mental health services at Montefiore Medical Center - Experienced or currently experiencing moderate to high levels of depression and/or anxiety symptoms in the postpartum period - English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria

Prior participation in a Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) group at any time - Participation in another parenting-focused group during the current postpartum period - Current episode of psychosis or mania - Psychiatric, neurocognitive, or substance use related difficulties necessitating a higher level of care than outpatient support (e.g., current inpatient treatment) or that would impede group participation (e.g., severe cognitive impairment)

Study Design

Phase: N/A
Study Type: Interventional
Allocation: N/A
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Masking: None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

Arm	Description	Assigned Intervention
Experimental Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) Program	Participants will enroll in a 12-session CARE parenting group therapy.	Behavioral: Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) Program The intervention consists of a 12-session mentalizing-focused parenting group, which will involve weekly one-hour telehealth therapy sessions with up to 7 postpartum parents per group and 1 to 2 facilitators. CARE is a therapy focused on parents' reflective capacity, or the ability to consider how our own and our children's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and other mental states shape behavior and parent-child relationships.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status: Recruiting
Sponsor: Montefiore Medical Center

Study Contact

Olivia J Derella, Ph.D.
718-304-7022
olivia.derella@einsteinmed.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.