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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02133963

Determining Relationships Among Maternity Stress & Sleep

Psychosocial factors, including a previous history of depression, recent stressful life events, sleep disturbances during pregnancy, and depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy have been shown to be associated with an increased risk for the development of postpartum depression (PPD). Biological mechanisms underlying the relationships among these psychosocial risk factors for PPD, and the development of PPD, remain unclear. However, evidence from non-perinatal populations suggest that dysregulation in stress-reactive neuroendocrine factors may play a role. The primary objectives of this study are: (1) to assess the feasibility of enrolling second trimester pregnant women, with or without depression histories, into a laboratory-based study protocol which includes a mild psychosocial stressor and the collection of venous blood for the measurement of stress-reactive adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol; (2) to assess the feasibility of retaining participants, for a brief postpartum phone interview, after completion of the second trimester assessments; and (3) to establish proof of concept for measuring group differences, between women with or without depression histories, in second trimester prenatal measures of neuroendocrine stress reactivity, depressive and anxious symptoms, recent stressful life events, and sleep quality.

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Key information

Conditions

Postpartum Depression Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Depression, Postpartum Depressive Disorder Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Pregnancy Complications Puerperal Disorders Stress, Psychological Urogenital Diseases

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

UNC Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • nulliparous women in their 2nd trimester of a singleton pregnancy
  • women between 18-45 years of age
  • women with a past history of depression
  • women with no past history of depression

Exclusion criteria

  • under 18 years of age
  • over 45 years of age
  • pregnancy gestation > 22 weeks at study enrollment
  • multiparity
  • non-singleton pregnancy
  • prior termination of pregnancy at >12 weeks gestation
  • prior loss of pregnancy >2 times at <12 weeks gestation
  • prior history of stillbirth
  • current substance use (alcohol and/or elicit drugs)
  • current chronic steroid use
  • current use of antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, mood-stabilizers, psychotropic medications, progesterone treatment, or sleep medications
  • current tobacco use
  • diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea,
  • diagnosed restless legs syndrome (RLS)
  • certain cancers
  • pre-gestational diabetes
  • a body mass index (BMI) of > 40kg/m2 just prior to pregnancy
  • chronic hypertension (documented or taking medication for hypertension)
  • gestational hypertension
  • preeclampsia
  • current anemia
  • current or past history of psychosis, schizoaffective disorder,or bipolar disorder
  • current depression

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility of the study protocol during the prenatal phase. Feasibility will be defined by the successful completion of enrollment and stress testing lab visits in 13 out of the 15 participants designed per group.

    Time frame: 20-22 weeks gestation through 22-24 weeks gestation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Feasibility with respect to the ability to retain participants / avoid attrition, which will be defined as having at least 90% of participants who completed the prenatal phase of the study, also complete one of the postpartum phone interviews.

    Time frame: Phone interviews will be administered at 8 weeks and 12 weeks postpartum.

  2. The investigators will test for group differences, between women with or without depression histories, in stress reactivity of cortisol [calculated using area under the curve (AUC)] to a mild psychosocial stressor paradigm.

    Time frame: The mild psychosocial stressor paradigm will occur during the stress testing lab visit, which will be scheduled during gestational weeks 22-24

    The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in stress reactivity of cortisol [calculated using area under the curve (AUC)] to a mild psychosocial stressor paradigm.

  3. The investigators will test for group differences, between women with or without depression histories, in stress reactivity of adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH [calculated using area under the curve (AUC)] to a mild psychosocial stressor paradigm.

    Time frame: The mild psychosocial stressor paradigm will occur during the stress testing lab visit, which will be scheduled during gestational weeks 22-24

    The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in stress reactivity of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) [calculated using area under the curve (AUC)] to a mild psychosocial stressor paradigm.

  4. The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in prenatal depressive symptoms using the Endinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

    Time frame: The Endinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) will be administered during the enrollment visit, scheduled during gestational weeks 20-22.

  5. The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in prenatal anxious symptoms using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), trait version.

    Time frame: The trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) will be administered during the enrollment visit, scheduled during gestational weeks 20-22.

  6. The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in recent stressful life events (last 6 months) using the Life Events Scale (LES).

    Time frame: The Life Events Scale (LES) will be administered during the enrollment visit, scheduled during gestational weeks 20-22.

  7. The investigators will use a two-group t-test, or a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for non-normal distributions, to test for group differences in prenatal sleep quality (past 30 days) using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

    Time frame: The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) will be administered during the enrollment visit, scheduled during gestational weeks 20-22.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Other

Collaborators

  • North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute

Registry information

Official study title

Sleep Dysregulation and Neuroendocrine Stress Reactivity: Towards a Biopsychosocial Model of Vulnerability to Postpartum Depression

Acronym: DREAMSS

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
May 8, 2014
Registry last updated
May 19, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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