NCT03836430

Brief Summary

Preterm birth is a serious public health issue, affecting 10% of all births in the US alone. Three quarters of these infants are born between 34 0/7 and 36 6⁄7 weeks' gestation or late-preterm (LP). Mothers of LP infants are at increased risk for postpartum stress, depression and mother-infant interaction problems posing significant risks for infant development. Our proposed project will advance the fields of maternal and child health by examining the impact of the Newborn Behavioral Observations Family Wellness (NBO-FW), a dyadic, two generational intervention targeting maternal wellbeing and early mother-infant relations in families of LP born infants. The NBO-FW is a 12week preventative intervention aimed at promoting maternal mental health and positive parenting. It is based on the highly successful NBO intervention developed by our team and applied across five continents, but with important new elements targeting maternal mental health and the needs of high-risk LP infants and their families. Participants will consist of 200 first-time mothers and their LP infants (100 intervention and 100 control dyads) born at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), an urban teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest maternity care provider in Boston. Data will be collected at three time points: during the birth hospitalization, at a follow-up visit at 4-6 weeks corrected gestational age, and at a further visit 10-12 weeks after birth. Outcomes will include standardized measures of maternal stress, depression, parenting confidence, and observed mother-infant interaction. Information about infant health care practices and maternal/infant health will also be recorded. We hypothesize that, compared to mothers in the care as usual control group, first-time mothers of LP infants who receive the NBO-FW will demonstrate a) lower levels of stress and depression, b) greater parenting confidence, c) higher quality interactions with their infants (e.g., positive affect, sensitivity, responsiveness, emotional connection); and (d) engage in more optimal infant health care practices.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
208

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Aug 2019

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 5, 2019

Completed
6 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 11, 2019

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

August 1, 2019

Completed
2.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

May 5, 2022

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

May 5, 2022

Completed
Last Updated

August 17, 2022

Status Verified

August 1, 2022

Enrollment Period

2.8 years

First QC Date

February 5, 2019

Last Update Submit

August 15, 2022

Conditions

Keywords

newborn behavioral observationlate pretermpostpartum depression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

  • Maternal postpartum depression

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Scale is 0 - 36, where higher scores indicate higher levels of depressive symptoms.

    The CESD-R will be administered at enrollment when the baby is approximately 2 days old

  • Maternal postpartum depression

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Scale is 0 - 36, where higher scores indicate higher levels of depressive symptoms.

    The CESD-R will be administered at 6 weeks

  • Maternal postpartum depression

    Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Scale is 0 - 36, where higher scores indicate higher levels of depressive symptoms.

    The CESD-R will be administered at 4 months

  • Maternal parenting stress

    Parenting Stress Index-Short Form 4th Edition (PSI-SF). We will look at the Parental Distress subscale, which is interpreted based on percentile scores. Higher percentile scores indicate higher parental distress.

    The PSI-SF will be administered at enrollment when the baby is approximately 2 days old

  • Maternal parenting stress

    Parenting Stress Index-Short Form 4th Edition (PSI-SF). We will look at the Parental Distress subscale, which is interpreted based on percentile scores. Higher percentile scores indicate higher parental distress.

    The PSI-SF will be administered at 6 weeks

  • Maternal parenting stress

    Parenting Stress Index-Short Form 4th Edition (PSI-SF)

    The PSI-SF will be administered at 4 months

  • Parenting confidence

    The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS). The scale ranges from 0-45, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in parenting skills and abilities.

    The KPCS will be administered at 6 weeks

  • Parenting confidence

    The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS). The scale ranges from 0-45, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in parenting skills and abilities.

    The KPCS will be administered at 4 months

  • Positive Parenting Quality

    Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS)

    The WECS will be administered at 4 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Safe sleep practices

    Infant care practices will be assessed at 6 weeks.

  • Safe sleep practices

    Infant care practices will be assessed at 4 months

  • Breastfeeding

    Infant care practices will be assessed at 6 weeks.

  • Breastfeeding

    Infant care practices will be assessed at 4 months.

  • Participation in well child visits

    Attendance at well child visits will be assessed at 4 months

Study Arms (2)

Newborn Behavioral Observation

EXPERIMENTAL

The Newborn Behavioral Observation-Family Wellness (NBO-FW) intervention is the experimental arm of this RCT. It consists of 3 NBOs - 2 during the birth hospitalization and the third at 6 weeks post-discharge as well as a journal with prompts for mothers to reflect on their infant's behavior and their own transition to motherhood. NBOs are clinical relationship-building tools used by trained clinicians/therapists to help parents understand their babies' unique language.

Behavioral: Newborn Behavioral Observation-Family Wellness (NBO-FW)

Usual care

NO INTERVENTION

This arm is the usual care arm. Of note, both arms receive 2 parenting books, one at hospital discharge and one at 6 weeks post-discharge.

Interventions

The intervention has been described in the arm description.

Newborn Behavioral Observation

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 50 Years
Sexfemale(Gender-based eligibility)
Gender Eligibility DetailsThis is a study of first time biological mothers who, by definition, are female.
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • First time mothers of singleton newborns born between 32 and 37 weeks of gestation
  • Mother fluent in either English or Spanish

You may not qualify if:

  • Maternal history of major psychosis or suicidality
  • Mother currently addicted to drugs or alcohol or being treated for drug addiction
  • Health condition limiting mother's ability to care for her infant
  • Primary diagnosis in infant is unrelated to prematurity
  • Infant not in legal and physical custody of the mother

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression, PostpartumPremature Birth

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Puerperal DisordersPregnancy ComplicationsFemale Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy ComplicationsUrogenital DiseasesDepressive DisorderMood DisordersMental DisordersObstetric Labor, PrematureObstetric Labor Complications

Study Officials

  • Lise C Johnson, MD

    Brigham and Women's Hospital

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE CARE
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Two-arm parallel assignment involving two groups of participants. Group A received the intervention of Newborn Behavior Observation (NBO) sessions and Group B did not.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Pediatrician, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 5, 2019

First Posted

February 11, 2019

Study Start

August 1, 2019

Primary Completion

May 5, 2022

Study Completion

May 5, 2022

Last Updated

August 17, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-08

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations