Preventing Maternal Mood, Anxiety, and Trauma Symptoms After Cesarean Delivery

Conditions

• Anxiety in Pregnancy
• Mood Disorder Due to Specified Medical Condition

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

FEMALE

Age

N/A - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• BE-OR: Brief Intervention to the Operating Room — BEHAVIORAL
  See intervention group section for details
• Interaction: Facetime with Clinical Provider — OTHER
  See Interaction group section for details

Study Details

Perinatal mental health disorders are the most prevalent perinatal comorbidity and are associated with the primary cause of maternal mortality in the United States (US) - suicide. Diagnosis of a high-risk pregnancy and cesarean delivery (CD) are both associated with increased risk for perinatal mood, anxiety, and trauma symptoms (PMATS). There is a deficit in resources and access to mental health treatment for pregnant patients, with some treatments being cost-prohibitive and requiring multiple sessions. Additionally, current approaches to addressing PMATS are reactive rather than preventive. There is evidence in the non-obstetric population that single-session cognitive behavioral therapy interventions targeting anxiety sensitivity (fear of fear) can prevent the development of anxiety and trauma symptoms when individuals are exposed to trauma. The investigators developed a low-cost, 1-hour, single-session prevention intervention that included psychoeducation about anxiety sensitivity, coupled with a brief exposure to the operating room environment and CD procedures. To revise the implementation plan and intervention (CARE: Communication, Agency, Readiness, Empowerment for cesarean delivery \[CD\]) for use in large L\&D units with a broader population of patients, a fully powered multisite randomized control trial (RCT) is needed. Before initiating such a trial, work needs to be done to modify the intervention and implementation through a process of iterative refinement to enhance the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of implementation in L\&D units across the country, as well as its efficacy at engaging with the target mechanism (anxiety sensitivity). Using a logic model to guide the iterative refinement process through fast feedback loops and an atmosphere of co-creation, study investigators will gather critical input from stakeholders (individuals with lived experiences, community partners, front-line clinicians, and hospital staff) via 12 workgroups, 12 user-testing design sessions, and repeated engagement with a steering council. Following this refinement process, a treatment development pilot RCT at a large L\&D unit will assess the efficacy of CARE for CD by probing engagement with the target mechanism, as well as assess the feasibility of implementation. Finally, the updated logic model and pilot trial results will inform the development of a protocol for a multisite RCT through engagement with expert consultants in a community engagement studio and further feedback from the steering council.

Key Dates

Start date

Oct 13, 2025

Status verified

Mar 2026

Primary completion

Apr 30, 2027

Completion

Apr 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Arms

• Experimental: Intervention
  Intervention: (N= 40) Participants will be scheduled to receive the 1-hour, single-session CARE intervention administered by a medical and mental health provider trained in the intervention. CARE will consist of psychoeducation and brief immersive exposure to the operating room.
• Experimental: Interaction Control
  Interaction Control: (N = 20) Participants will receive a 1-hour, single-session meeting with a nurse educator that will occur within a single patient room on L\&D. This condition will provide the same front-line clinician facetime as the treatment condition but will not include the clinical content of the intervention (psychoeducation + exposure).
• No Intervention: Care as Usual
  Care as Usual Control: (N = 20) Participants will receive all the standard prenatal and CD education. The participants will not receive any additional face-to-face interaction with front-line clinicians as part of the study.

Primary Outcome Measure

Anxiety-sensitivity Index 3 [ Time Frame: Baseline ]

Locations (1)

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