Perinatal Emotion and Relationships Longitudinal Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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
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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.

Official Title
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Perinatal Emotion and Relationships Longitudinal Study

Conditions
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Depression, Postpartum

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Remitted Major Depression Group<br>Women in this group will have experienced at least one episode of major depression in their lifetime, but no episodes in the two months prior to study enrollment. | |
| Control Group<br>Women in this group will never have experienced any Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition Axis I psychological disorder. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Occurrence of mood episodes and anxiety disorders | Assessed via interview | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Mood and anxiety symptoms | Assessed via questionnaires | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Emotion reactivity and regulation | Assessed via questionnaires, experimental tasks, and physiological measurement | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Empathic accuracy | Assessed via experimental tasks | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Prosocial behavior | Assessed via questionnaires and experimental tasks | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Well-being and social support | Assessed via questionnaires | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) | 
| Parenting sensitivity, efficacy, stress, bond with infant | Assessed via questionnaires and behavioral observation | Throughout study (pregnancy to 6 months postpartum) |