IPT for Major Depression Following Perinatal Loss: Healing After Loss (HeAL)
NCT ID: NCT04629599
Last Updated: 2025-05-01
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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RECRUITING
NA
200 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2021-08-01
2025-11-01
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
SINGLE
Study Groups
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Interpersonal psychotherapy for major depression following perinatal loss
Participants in the IPT condition will receive 12 group sessions and 2 individual (pre-group and 1-month booster) sessions as outlined in the manual The individual sessions prepare patients to use the group effectively, to keep group members focused on their treatment goals, and to maintain treatment gains. In addition, 3 of the 12 group sessions will invite women to include their partners or other support people to bolster the woman's social support system and to reduce conflicts over how to react to the loss. These sessions are important because relationship distress is common following perinatal loss. Our IPT intervention allows new women to enter the group every 4 weeks of the 12-week group. Group sessions are semi-structured, and each woman will cover the four group topics three times, approaching each topic from a different stage in the mourning process.
Interpersonal psychotherapy for major depression following perinatal loss
Participants in the IPT condition will receive 12 group sessions and 2 individual (pre-group and 1-month booster) sessions as outlined in the manual The individual sessions prepare patients to use the group effectively, to keep group members focused on their treatment goals, and to maintain treatment gains. In addition, 3 of the 12 group sessions will invite women to include their partners or other support people to bolster the woman's social support system and to reduce conflicts over how to react to the loss. These sessions are important because relationship distress is common following perinatal loss. Our IPT intervention allows new women to enter the group every 4 weeks of the 12-week group. Group sessions are semi-structured, and each woman will cover the four group topics three times, approaching each topic from a different stage in the mourning process.
Coping with Depression
The Coping with Depression (CWD) course is a structured, manualized psycho-educational group treatment for MDD. The CWD course is based on social learning theory which posits that depression is associated with a decrease in pleasant and an increase in unpleasant person-environment interactions. The problems shown by depressed individuals are viewed as behavioral, with cognitive patterns that can be unlearned or relearned. Its effectiveness is comparable to other forms of psychotherapy in depression. The course content is cognitive-behavioral in nature and is designed to train skills that can be used in the alleviation of depression. The skill modules focus on relaxation, cognitive skills, and behavioral activation. As in the pilot trial, CWD will consist of an individual pregroup session, 12 group therapy sessions (allowing new women to enter every 4th session) and a 1-month individual booster session to provide an identical treatment dose as the experimental condition.
Coping with Depression
The Coping with Depression (CWD) course is a structured, manualized psycho-educational group treatment for MDD. The CWD course is based on social learning theory which posits that depression is associated with a decrease in pleasant and an increase in unpleasant person-environment interactions. The problems shown by depressed individuals are viewed as behavioral, with cognitive patterns that can be unlearned or relearned. Its effectiveness is comparable to other forms of psychotherapy in depression. The course content is cognitive-behavioral in nature and is designed to train skills that can be used in the alleviation of depression. The skill modules focus on relaxation, cognitive skills, and behavioral activation. As in the pilot trial, CWD will consist of an individual pregroup session, 12 group therapy sessions (allowing new women to enter every 4th session) and a 1-month individual booster session to provide an identical treatment dose as the experimental condition.
Interventions
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Interpersonal psychotherapy for major depression following perinatal loss
Participants in the IPT condition will receive 12 group sessions and 2 individual (pre-group and 1-month booster) sessions as outlined in the manual The individual sessions prepare patients to use the group effectively, to keep group members focused on their treatment goals, and to maintain treatment gains. In addition, 3 of the 12 group sessions will invite women to include their partners or other support people to bolster the woman's social support system and to reduce conflicts over how to react to the loss. These sessions are important because relationship distress is common following perinatal loss. Our IPT intervention allows new women to enter the group every 4 weeks of the 12-week group. Group sessions are semi-structured, and each woman will cover the four group topics three times, approaching each topic from a different stage in the mourning process.
Coping with Depression
The Coping with Depression (CWD) course is a structured, manualized psycho-educational group treatment for MDD. The CWD course is based on social learning theory which posits that depression is associated with a decrease in pleasant and an increase in unpleasant person-environment interactions. The problems shown by depressed individuals are viewed as behavioral, with cognitive patterns that can be unlearned or relearned. Its effectiveness is comparable to other forms of psychotherapy in depression. The course content is cognitive-behavioral in nature and is designed to train skills that can be used in the alleviation of depression. The skill modules focus on relaxation, cognitive skills, and behavioral activation. As in the pilot trial, CWD will consist of an individual pregroup session, 12 group therapy sessions (allowing new women to enter every 4th session) and a 1-month individual booster session to provide an identical treatment dose as the experimental condition.
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* have experienced a perinatal loss (including early and late fetal death, death of a liveborn neonate within the first 28 days, and medically recommended termination) within the last 1-12 months
* are 18 to 50 years old
* speak and understand English well enough to understand questionnaires when they are read aloud
* can provide the name and contact information of at least two locator persons
* have access to a telephone through owning one, a relative/friend, or an agency
Exclusion Criteria
* current or past diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder
* primary diagnosis of current substance use disorder
* acute suicidal or homicidal risk
* non-stable course of antidepressant medication or psychotherapy (i.e., beginning or changing dose of either within the previous 12 weeks)
* any IPT or cognitive-behavioral treatment in the previous 12 weeks
18 Years
50 Years
FEMALE
No
Sponsors
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Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
OTHER
Michigan State University
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Jennifer E. Johnson
C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health
Principal Investigators
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Jennifer E Johnson, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Michigan State University
Locations
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Anywhere in the entire state of Michigan (treatment is virtual)
Flint, Michigan, United States
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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References
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Johnson JE, Price AB, Kao JC, Fernandes K, Stout R, Gobin RL, Zlotnick C. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depression following perinatal loss: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2016 Oct;19(5):845-59. doi: 10.1007/s00737-016-0625-5. Epub 2016 Mar 22.
Johnson JE, Price AB, Sikorskii A, Key KD, Taylor B, Lamphere S, Huff C, Cinader M, Zlotnick C. Protocol for the Healing After Loss (HeAL) Study: a randomised controlled trial of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for major depression following perinatal loss. BMJ Open. 2022 Apr 19;12(4):e057747. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-057747.
Other Identifiers
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