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

NCT ID: NCT06042166

Last Updated: 2025-11-25

Study Results

Results pending

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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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

17 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-08-16

Study Completion Date

2025-11-11

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Postpartum Depression Postpartum Anxiety Parenting Stress Parent Child Relationships

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) Program

Participants will enroll in a 12-session CARE parenting group therapy.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE) Program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Interventions

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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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Birthing parent (of any gender) of an infant age 3-12 months old at time of enrollment
* 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 or active suicidal ideation
* Serious psychiatric, neurocognitive, or substance use related difficulties necessitating a higher level of care than outpatient support (e.g., current inpatient treatment) or that, in the judgment of the PI, would impede group participation (e.g., severe cognitive impairment)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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American Psychological Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Montefiore Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Amanda Zayde, Psy.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Locations

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Montefiore Medical Center

The Bronx, New York, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Zayde A, Kilbride A, Kucer A, Willis HA, Nikitiades A, Alpert J, Gabbay V. Connection During COVID-19: Pilot Study of a Telehealth Group Parenting Intervention. Am J Psychother. 2022 Jun 15;75(2):67-74. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20210005. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34525847 (View on PubMed)

Zayde A, Derella OJ, Kilbride A. Safe haven in adolescence: Improving parental reflective functioning and youth attachment and mental health with the Connecting and Reflecting Experience. Infant Ment Health J. 2023 Mar;44(2):268-283. doi: 10.1002/imhj.22042. Epub 2023 Mar 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36862314 (View on PubMed)

Zayde A, Prout TA, Kilbride A, Kufferath-Lin T. The Connecting and Reflecting Experience (CARE): theoretical foundation and development of mentalizing-focused parenting groups. Attach Hum Dev. 2021 Jun;23(3):293-309. doi: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1729213. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32072881 (View on PubMed)

Putnam SP, Helbig AL, Gartstein MA, Rothbart MK, Leerkes E. Development and assessment of short and very short forms of the infant behavior questionnaire-revised. J Pers Assess. 2014;96(4):445-58. doi: 10.1080/00223891.2013.841171. Epub 2013 Nov 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24206185 (View on PubMed)

Luyten P, Mayes LC, Nijssens L, Fonagy P. The parental reflective functioning questionnaire: Development and preliminary validation. PLoS One. 2017 May 4;12(5):e0176218. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176218. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28472162 (View on PubMed)

Goodman JH, Santangelo G. Group treatment for postpartum depression: a systematic review. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2011 Aug;14(4):277-93. doi: 10.1007/s00737-011-0225-3. Epub 2011 Jul 1.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21720793 (View on PubMed)

Brockington IF, Oates J, George S, Turner D, Vostanis P, Sullivan M, Loh C, Murdoch C. A screening questionnaire for mother-infant bonding disorders. Archives of Women's Mental Health. 2001; 3: 133-140.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Beck, AT, Steer, RA. Beck Anxiety Inventory Manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation. 1993.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Abidin, R. R. (2012). Parenting Stress Index (4th ed.). Lutz, FL: PAR.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R. Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry. 1987 Jun;150:782-6. doi: 10.1192/bjp.150.6.782.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3651732 (View on PubMed)

Joyce AS, MacNair-Semands R, Tasca GA, Ogrodniczuk JS. Factor structure and validity of the Therapeutic Factors Inventory-Short Form. Group Dynamics. 2011; 15(3): 201-219.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

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2023-15124

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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