RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT06835855

Development of Attentional Biases for Affective Cues in Infants of Mothers With Depression

Sponsor

Binghamton University

Enrollment

225 participants

Start Date

Nov 14, 2024

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Depression - Major Depressive Disorder

Summary

The goal of this study is to examine attentional biases for facial displays of emotion as a mechanism of risk in infants of mothers with postpartum major depression, and the potential role of infant arousal in the development of these attentional biases.

Eligibility

Min Age: 6 Months

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This research study follows mothers and their babies to understand how a mother's history of depression may affect how her infant pays attention to emotional facial expressions. Researchers hope this will help identify early warning signs for emotional development problems. **You may be eligible if...** - You are a mother who has had at least one episode of major depression since your baby was born (high-risk group) - Or you are a mother with no history of depression (low-risk comparison group) - Your baby was born full-term (after 37 weeks), at a healthy weight, with no birth complications or health problems **You may NOT be eligible if...** - You have a current or past alcohol or substance use disorder - You had alcohol or substance use problems during pregnancy - Your baby was born prematurely or had significant health complications at birth Talk to your doctor to see if this trial is right for you.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

OTHERPassive Viewing Task

Infants will complete a computer-based task in which they view facial displays of emotion (angry, happy, sad, neutral) while an eye tracker records their gaze.

OTHERInteraction Task

Mother and infants will also complete a standardized interaction task during which we assess infant gaze and psychophysiology. The task consists of three stages, each of which lasts three minutes. For the first stage (Free Play 1), infants sit in a highchair and mothers are asked to play with their baby as they normally would, without any toys or other objects. In the second stage (Sad), mothers are asked to think about times when they are sad or depressed and do not feel able to effectively play with their child. They are instructed to look at their child but speak in a monotone and minimize body movement or any physical contact with the infant. In the third stage (Free Play 2), mothers again interact with their infants normally for three minutes.