Recruiting
Development of Attentional Biases for Affective Cues in Infants of Mothers With Depression
The goal of this study is to examine attentional biases for facial displays of emotion as a mechanism of risk in infants of mothers with postpartum major depression, and the potential role of infant arousal in the development of these attentional biases.
ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT06835855
PhaseNA
Enrollment225
SponsorBinghamton University
Age6 Months
SexALL
Conditions studied
Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
About this study
The goal of this study is to examine attentional biases for facial displays of emotion as a mechanism of risk in infants of mothers with postpartum major depression, and the potential role of infant arousal in the development of these attentional biases.
Interventions
- Other: Passive Viewing Task — Infants will complete a computer-based task in which they view facial displays of emotion (angry, happy, sad, neutral) while an eye tracker records their gaze.
- Other: Interaction Task — Mother and infants will also complete a standardized interaction task during which we assess infant gaze and psychophysiology. The task consists of three stages, each of which lasts three minutes. For the first stage (Free Play 1), infants sit in a highchair and mothers are asked to play with their baby as they normally would, without any toys or other objects. In the second stage (Sad), mothers are asked to think about times when they are sad or depressed and do not feel able to effectively play with their child. They are instructed to look at their child but speak in a monotone and minimize body movement or any physical contact with the infant. In the third stage (Free Play 2), mothers again interact with their infants normally for three minutes.
Primary outcomes
- Eye gaze during computer-based task (Baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up)
- Eye gaze during the interaction task (Baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up)
- Infant Heart Rate (Baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up)
- Infant Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (Baseline and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow ups)
Eligibility information
Inclusion Criteria:
* The high-risk group (n = 150) will consist of women with at least one episode of MDD since their baby's birth.
* To qualify for the low-risk group (n = 75), women cannot have a history of any depressive disorder or any current psychiatric diagnoses.
* Infants will be required to be singleton children born full-term (\> 37 weeks) and normal weight (\> 2,500 grams) with no birth complications or health problems to avoid medical complications contributing to infants' attention, reactivity, and regulation measures.
* The two groups will be matched on demographic factors (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, income).
Exclusion Criteria:
* Additional exclusion criteria are diagnoses of alcohol or substance use disorders currently or at any point during pregnancy, or lifetime history of bipolar or psychotic disorders.
Study locations
- Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 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.