Postpartum Depression Research Study
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Western Psychiatric want to understand how mothers and their babies respond to one another and how that is related to postpartum mood.
Fast Facts
Experiencing Postpartum Depression
Women Ages 18+
Compensation Provided
Conducted in Pittsburgh, PA
Study Background
The University of Pennsylvania and UPMC Western Psychiatric are conducting a research study to investigate maternal and infant brain-behavior relationships in the first year of life.
Your participation in this study is voluntary, and would include 3 research visits in your home as well as filling out a brief online questionnaire when your baby is 4, 5, 7, and 8-months old that will take about 10 minutes to complete.
Each home visit will follow the same format and will take place when your baby is about 3-, 6-, and 9-months old. Each of these visits will include filling out questionnaires about you and your child’s behavior and emotions and your background.
We will also ask you to play with your baby while each of you wear a special cap that uses near-infrared light to measure brain activity. This cap is safe and comfortable.
Study Background
The University of Pennsylvania and UPMC Western Psychiatric are conducting a research study to investigate maternal and infant brain-behavior relationships in the first year of life.
Your participation in this study is voluntary, and would include 3 research visits in your home as well as filling out a brief online questionnaire when your baby is 4, 5, 7, and 8-months old that will take about 10 minutes to complete.
Each home visit will follow the same format and will take place when your baby is about 3-, 6-, and 9-months old. Each of these visits will include filling out questionnaires about you and your child’s behavior and emotions and your background.
We will also ask you to play with your baby while each of you wear a special cap that uses near-infrared light to measure brain activity. This cap is safe and comfortable.
Additional Information
The purpose of this research study is to understand how mothers and their babies respond to one another and how that is related to postpartum mood.
You may qualify for this study if you meet the following criteria.
Key Criteria:
- Women ages 18+
- Experiencing postpartum depression
- Have given birth in the last 5 months
- Gave birth at ≥ 37 weeks
- Child was > 5.5 lbs at birth
- Child had no exposure to heavy alcohol, regular tobacco use, or heavy marijuana use during pregnancy
- Child had no extended hospitalizations for physical health problems (e.g., neurological illness)
- No history of bipolar disorder or psychosis
This study involves in-person visits conduct in the participant’s homes:
- The first home visit occurs when the baby is about 3 months old and will take about 2.5 hours.
- During this visit, we will ask about mood and psychiatric history, and then mom and baby will play together.
- During the play, mom and baby will wear caps, like swim caps, that have fiber optic cables to measure light signals at the scalp.
- Participants will be filmed while they play and talk so we can code emotions and behaviors later.
- When the baby is about 6 and 9 months old, we will return to their home for shorter visits of approximately 1.5 hours.
- These visits will be fairly similar to the first one, with an interview and filmed mother-baby play while wearing the caps.
Aa a participant, you can receive compensation up to $595.
There is no cost for you to participate in our research study.
