DBT-P Treatment Study

NCT ID: NCT06963801

Last Updated: 2025-12-23

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

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

100 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-06-06

Study Completion Date

2027-01-31

Brief Summary

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The goal of this study is to find out if improving emotion regulation skills use during pregnancy reduces maternal stress and improves heart rate.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does improving emotion regulation skills during pregnancy reduce stress and improve the ability to cope?
* How is a participant's heart rate affected by their ability to control their emotions during pregnancy?

Researchers will test the hypothesis that dialectical behavior therapy skills groups (DBT-P) will improve emotion regulation skills use as well as heart rate.

Participants will:

* Visit the clinic for 3 sessions at the beginning, middle and end of their pregnancy.
* Compete surveys and interviews asking about their thoughts, feelings and how they cope with emotions.
* Have their heart rate taken.
* If assigned to the investigational group, they will complete weekly remote emotion regulation skills groups for 10 weeks and complete daily diary cards that ask about mood and any thoughts of self-harm.
* Optional Element: Complete a 20-30min infant neurobehavior exam (NNNS exam) after delivery.

Detailed Description

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The investigators' observational research with mothers with emotion dysregulation and their infants shows that poor emotion regulation skill use is a mechanism that likely confers risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, depression, and anxiety in the mother and neurobehavioral and co-regulatory challenges in the infant. Emotion dysregulation is an impairing, early-emerging, transdiagnostic vulnerability factor that has intergenerational implications. Treatments have been developed for non-pregnant adults with emotion dysregulation but these are costly, time-intensive, and do not address the unique needs of pregnant people, highlighting an unmet therapeutic need. Through this innovative intervention, researchers will test whether targeting emotion regulation skills use during pregnancy will both improve postpartum emotion regulation, newborn neurobehavior, and mother-infant co-regulation. Early identification of the mechanisms implicated in risk. The researchers will deliver 10 weeks of DBT skills classes selected and adapted to meet the unique needs of pregnancy (DBT-P). The goal of this work is to improve perinatal mental health trajectories.

The premise of this study-that improving emotion regulation in pregnancy may disrupt intergenerational transmission of psychopathology-is informed by our research over the past two decades, including several NIH awards (R01MH119070, R01MH132210, R01DA049755, R21MH1090777, F31MH074196). The investigator' data reveal that maternal emotion dysregulation confers risk for mother. The research also shows that resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological index of emotion dysregulation, can be improved via intervention in non-pregnant adults. The investigators propose that DBT-P will increase emotion regulation skills use or increase RSA in the mother (target engagement) leading to significant reductions in her emotion dysregulation prior to birth.

The primary study objectives are to recruit 100 pregnant women with high emotion dysregulation to receive either: (1) dialectical behavior therapy skills groups or an Assessment only control; and (2) to evaluate whether the treatment improved emotion regulation skills use as well as respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

Conditions

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Emotion Dysregulation

Keywords

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Emotion dysregulation Pregnancy Maternal health RSA Coping Stress DBT-P Moms2B

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Two groups: control group is assessment only and treatment group is DBT-P group sessions (emotional skills regulation groups). Groups stratified based on gestational age (18-22 weeks vs 23-27 weeks) as well as race and ethnicity.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors
The Clinical Research Coordinators collecting the data and conducting semi-structured emotion regulation interview.

Study Groups

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Moms2B

Moms2B is an established group-based intervention for pregnant women focused on enhancing social support and improving nutrition. Participants will receive 3 sessions using this established assessment only treatment plan as well as complete surveys and clinical interviews assessing stress, coping strategies and emotions. Resting heart rate data as well as heart rate data post stimulus to be assessed.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Moms2B

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

An established group-based pregnancy program focusing on improving nutrition, social, and medical support.

DBT-P

DBT-P is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills group adapted for pregnant people. Participants will receive weekly DBT-P group sessions for 10 weeks where they learn skills to: (1) enhance self-awareness; (2) improve ability to manage crises; (3) decrease negative emotions and increase positive emotions; (4) improve your relationships and self-respect; they will also complete homework as part of the group participation as well as complete daily diary cards that will ask about their mood and any thoughts of self-harm .

Completion of surveys and clinical interviews assessing stress, coping strategies and emotions are included; resting heart rate data as well as heart rate data post stimulus to be assessed.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Moms2B

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

An established group-based pregnancy program focusing on improving nutrition, social, and medical support.

DBT-P

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

An emotional skills group where emotion regulation skills are taught in the context of the pregnancy and expected life with an infant.

Interventions

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Moms2B

An established group-based pregnancy program focusing on improving nutrition, social, and medical support.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

DBT-P

An emotional skills group where emotion regulation skills are taught in the context of the pregnancy and expected life with an infant.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Emotion dysregulation score of 88 or above
* At least 12 weeks pregnant
* Singleton Pregnancy
* Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

* Active psychosis
* Drug or alcohol use disorder during pregnancy
* High risk of an imminent suicide attempt
* Significant health complications (e.g., cancer)
* Illiterate and/or unable to independently complete and comprehend written measures
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

45 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Oregon

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Duke University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Elisabeth Conradt, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Duke University

Andrada Neacsiu, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Duke University

Sheila Crowell, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Oregon

Locations

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Duke University

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Janea Cato

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (919) 684-3251

Email: [email protected]

Alicia Holloway

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (919) 684-1333

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Alicia Holloway

Role: primary

Janea Cato

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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R61MH138444

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

Pro00116252

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id