Recruiting

Parent Encouragement And Coaching of Happiness in Youth

ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT06725160

PhaseNA

Enrollment180

SponsorUniversity of Pittsburgh

Age4 Years

SexALL

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Conditions studied

Depression, Parent-Child Relations

About this study

The goal of this mechanistic clinical trial is to examine whether parent-coaching aimed at increasing child positive affect will increase child neural response to reward. The main questions it aims to answer are: Aim 1. Characterize child neural reward response and its relation to maternal socialization of positive emotions at baseline in healthy young children. Aim 2. Evaluate how coaching-related changes in maternal socialization of positive emotion expression contribute to increases in child neural reward response over time. Aim 3. Examine how maternal socialization of positive emotion expression contributes to increases in child neural reward response in the moment. Participating mother-child dyads will be randomized to either 3 sessions of parent coaching of child positive affect or 3 sessions of a general parenting support intervention and neural response to reward and affective behavior will be examined pre and post intervention.

Interventions

Behavioral: Parent Coaching — Three sessions of parent coaching of child positive affect will be administered based on modules from PCIT-ED.
Behavioral: Active Control — General parent support and psychoeducation based on components of standard PCIT.

Primary outcomes

Reward Positivity (RewP) (From baseline week 1 to final assessment week 5 (week 10 maximum))

Eligibility information

Inclusion Criteria for Mothers: * Birth mother (biologically female, any gender) * Providing regular care for participating child (i.e., at least 50% of time) * Elevated, clinically significant levels of depression (16 or higher on CES-D) * Aged 18+ Exclusion Criteria for Mothers: * Lifetime history of a bipolar disorder * Lifetime history of a psychotic disorder Inclusion Criteria for Participating Child: -Aged 4-6 years Exclusion Criteria for Participating Child: * T-score greater than 63 on the internalizing or externalizing composites of the CBCL * Lifetime history of a psychiatric illness * Lifetime history of neurodevelopmental disorder * Lifetime history of neurological disorder

Study locations

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 United States

Before you participate: Varda Clinical is an independent discovery tool, not the study sponsor or a medical provider. Eligibility can only be determined by the official study team. Discuss potential risks and benefits with a qualified healthcare professional.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.