Parent Encouragement And Coaching of Happiness in Youth

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH · Dec 5, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The "Parent Encouragement and Coaching of Happiness in Youth" clinical trial aims to find out how coaching parents to express positive emotions can help improve their young children's responses to rewards. Specifically, the study will look at how a mother’s ability to show happiness and encouragement might change the way her child’s brain responds to positive experiences. Researchers want to see if this coaching can make a difference over time and in the moment.

Mothers who are interested in participating should be the biological mother of a child aged 4 to 6 years old and be providing regular care for that child. They should also be experiencing significant levels of depression. However, mothers with a history of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorders cannot participate. The trial will involve three sessions where mothers will receive coaching on how to help their children feel more positive emotions. Before and after these sessions, researchers will assess changes in both the child’s brain responses and emotional behaviors. This study is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to understand better how parental support can enhance children's emotional well-being.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• 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:
• • Lifetime history of a psychiatric illness
• • Lifetime history of neurodevelopmental disorder
• • Lifetime history of neurological disorder