Preventing Childbirth-Related PTSD With Expressive Writing

Part of paid clinical trials in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study ID
NCT05662423
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • PTSD (Childbirth-Related)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
FEMALE
Age
18 Years - 50 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Expressive Writing about Childbirth — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will write repeatedly about their deepest emotions and thoughts related to their recent childbirth, focusing on the most stressful experiences.
  • Neutral Writing — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will write repeatedly about neutral daily events/tasks not related to childbirth.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a brief psychological intervention given to individuals in the first days following childbirth who have experienced a potentially stressful childbirth. The treatment is aimed at preventing post-traumatic stress disorder following childbirth and promoting maternal-infant bonding. In the days following childbirth, participants will be asked to write about their childbirth experience or a neutral event for three consecutive days, for around 15 minutes each day. Additionally, they will complete a short survey before and after the intervention about their birth experience and mental health. Around 2 months postpartum (with the option of up to around Month 3 PP), participants will take part in mental health and physiological assessments, and in a brief play session with their infant.

Key Dates

Start date
Nov 8, 2023
Status verified
Jan 2026
Primary completion
Jul 20, 2026
Completion
Jul 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
136 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Active Comparator: Expressive Writing about Childbirth
    Subgroup of participants will write about their recent childbirth.
  • Placebo Comparator: Neutral Writing
    Subgroup of participants will write about neutral daily events.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change from baseline in the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) total score [ Time Frame: Pre-Intervention and Post-Intervention (within 1 day of treatment) ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Massachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusetts02129
Sharon Dekel, Ph.D., M.Phil., M.S.
[email protected]
617-726-1352

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By research site
Massachusetts General Hospital· Boston, MA

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