DepressionNCT05628675
A Prenatal Bonding Intervention for Pregnant Women With Depression
A study testing Baby CHAT in people with Depression and Pregnancy, run by King's College London at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a group for pregnant women with depression that aims to help them build a stronger relationship with their unborn baby. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is the group acceptable to pregnant women with depression? Is it possible to run this group with pregnant women… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 99 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression, Pregnancy
- What is being tested?
- Baby CHAT
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 21 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 17 Nov 2022to 12 Jul 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 99 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Currently pregnant
- Aged ≥18 years
- Between 20- and 34-weeks' gestation
- Currently experiencing depressive symptoms as identified by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
- Resident in or accessing services in a London borough served by South London \& Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Who cannot join
- Experiencing severe depression or current severe co-morbid diagnoses e.g. psychosis
- Endorse 'yes, quite often' or 'sometimes' on question 10 of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; in the past 7 days, 'the thought of harming myself has occurred to me') at screening
- Unable to complete informed consent and the questionnaires in English
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Feasibility of a Psychoeducational Group Intervention to Improve Parental Reflective Functioning and Bonding in Prenatal Depression
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a group for pregnant women with depression that aims to help them build a stronger relationship with their unborn baby. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is the group acceptable to pregnant women with depression?
- Is it possible to run this group with pregnant women with depression?
- Could the group potentially impact bonding, parental reflective functioning and mood?
Participants will be asked to:
- attend the group (which lasts 90mins)
- complete questionnaires before and after the group, and 1 month later
Read the detailed description
Depression during pregnancy is a common mental health problem. Pregnant women with depression often continue to feel depressed after their baby is born, which can have several negative effects for both mother and child. For example, depressed mothers can find it harder to build a good relationship with their baby. Existing treatments for depression may not be sufficient to also improve the relationship between mother and baby. Depressed mothers may therefore need more specific help with connecting to their baby.
One promising new intervention is Baby CHAT. Baby CHAT is a single-session group that helps expectant parents learn about their unborn baby by viewing moving 4D ultrasound scans. It is believed that this will help parents to build a stronger relationship with their unborn baby. Baby CHAT has already been trialled with parents without any mental health problems, with promising results. This study aims to assess whether Baby CHAT is helpful for pregnant women with depression, collect data to inform future large-scale trials, and to develop the intervention from participants' feedback. The main research question asks: is Baby CHAT acceptable and feasible to deliver with pregnant women with depression?
Participants eligible to take part in the project will be people aged ≥18 years who are pregnant, between 20- and 34-weeks' gestation, and currently experiencing depressive symptoms. The project is taking place at an NHS site, with participants recruited from mental health and maternity services and online advertising. Participants will attend an online Baby CHAT group and complete online questionnaires at three time points (before and after Baby CHAT, and at one-month follow-up). The questionnaires will assess participants' relationship with their unborn baby, their ability to imagine their unborn baby as a separate person, and their level of depressive symptoms. The anticipated study end date is May 2023.
- Conditions
- Depression, Pregnancy
- Being tested
- Baby CHAT
- Keywords
- Prenatal Bonding, Reflective Functioning, Maternal-Foetal Attachment, Mentalisation, Prenatal Depression, Perinatal Depression
- Medical subject headings
- Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Baby CHATOther
Baby CHAT is an approximately 90-minute group intervention to be delivered during pregnancy. The group is comprised of psychoeducational material about a baby's social development after birth and while the baby is growing in the womb. Attendees are encouraged to think about when an infant's social development begins and consider whether this occurs before or after birth. Participants are then shown a video clip of Reissland et al.'s (2016) study showing 4D ultrasound images of foetuses mouthing in response to sounds that are presented to them outside the womb. During Baby CHAT, parents are encouraged to reflect on this information in the context of their own baby's development, including their likes and dislikes, routine and personality. The final section of the group involves generating ideas for social activities that parents can try with their baby prior to birth, such as singing to, massaging or reading to their baby.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Single-session 90-minute psychoeducational group ("Baby CHAT") delivered antenatally. Receives: Other: Baby CHAT |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change on Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS)
The Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS; Condon, 1993) is a self-report questionnaire for expectant mothers, designed to assess the maternal-foetal attachment during pregnancy. The scale consists of 19 items on a 5-point Likert scale assessing women's attitudes, feelings and behaviours towards their foetus. Higher total scores indicate stronger prenatal bonding i.e. a better outcome (range 19-95).
Measured: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change on Prenatal Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (P-PRFQ)
The Prenatal Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (P-PRFQ; Pajulo et al., 2015) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire assessing expectant parents' abilities to think of their foetus as a separate individual with a developing temperament, personality and needs. The scale can be used during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Higher total scores indicate stronger prenatal parental reflective functioning i.e. a better outcome (range 14-98).
Measured: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
Change on Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox, Holden \& Sagovsky, 1987) is a 10-item self-report measure used to identify depression in women during the perinatal period. The scale was initially developed to screen for postnatal depression but has also been validated for use in antenatal populations (Murray \& Cox, 1990). Higher total scores indicate higher presence of depressive symptoms i.e. a worse outcome (range 0-30).
Measured: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Nov 2022
- Study start17 Nov 2022
- Primary completion12 Jul 2023
- Study completion12 Jul 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for DepressionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by King's College LondonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Single-arm repeated measures
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 21 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- King's College London
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Rebecca C Cockburn, Principal investigator, King's College London
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05628675
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R&D2022/056
- Other IDs
- 302132
- Status last verified
- Aug 2022
- First submitted
- 9 Nov 2022
- Last updated
- 25 Jun 2025
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Jun 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Feasibility of a Psychoeducational Group Intervention to Improve Parental Reflective Functioning and Bonding in Prenatal Depression
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05628675
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- R&D2022/056
- Conditions
- Depression, Pregnancy
- Keywords
- Prenatal Bonding, Reflective Functioning, Maternal-Foetal Attachment, Mentalisation, Prenatal Depression, Perinatal Depression
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 21 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- King's College LondonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Study start
- 17 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 12 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 12 Jul 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 25 Jun 2025
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to test a group for pregnant women with depression that aims to help them build a stronger relationship with their unborn baby. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Is the group acceptable to pregnant women with depression?
- Is it possible to run this group with pregnant women with depression?
- Could the group potentially impact bonding, parental reflective functioning and mood?
Participants will be asked to:
- attend the group (which lasts 90mins)
- complete questionnaires before and after the group, and 1 month later
Detailed description
Depression during pregnancy is a common mental health problem. Pregnant women with depression often continue to feel depressed after their baby is born, which can have several negative effects for both mother and child. For example, depressed mothers can find it harder to build a good relationship with their baby. Existing treatments for depression may not be sufficient to also improve the relationship between mother and baby. Depressed mothers may therefore need more specific help with connecting to their baby.
One promising new intervention is Baby CHAT. Baby CHAT is a single-session group that helps expectant parents learn about their unborn baby by viewing moving 4D ultrasound scans. It is believed that this will help parents to build a stronger relationship with their unborn baby. Baby CHAT has already been trialled with parents without any mental health problems, with promising results. This study aims to assess whether Baby CHAT is helpful for pregnant women with depression, collect data to inform future large-scale trials, and to develop the intervention from participants' feedback. The main research question asks: is Baby CHAT acceptable and feasible to deliver with pregnant women with depression?
Participants eligible to take part in the project will be people aged ≥18 years who are pregnant, between 20- and 34-weeks' gestation, and currently experiencing depressive symptoms. The project is taking place at an NHS site, with participants recruited from mental health and maternity services and online advertising. Participants will attend an online Baby CHAT group and complete online questionnaires at three time points (before and after Baby CHAT, and at one-month follow-up). The questionnaires will assess participants' relationship with their unborn baby, their ability to imagine their unborn baby as a separate person, and their level of depressive symptoms. The anticipated study end date is May 2023.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Single-arm repeated measures
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Other: Baby CHATSingle-session 90-minute psychoeducational group ("Baby CHAT") delivered antenatally. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 99 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Currently pregnant
- Aged ≥18 years
- Between 20- and 34-weeks' gestation
- Currently experiencing depressive symptoms as identified by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
- Resident in or accessing services in a London borough served by South London \& Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Experiencing severe depression or current severe co-morbid diagnoses e.g. psychosis
- Endorse 'yes, quite often' or 'sometimes' on question 10 of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; in the past 7 days, 'the thought of harming myself has occurred to me') at screening
- Unable to complete informed consent and the questionnaires in English
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Baby CHATBaby CHAT is an approximately 90-minute group intervention to be delivered during pregnancy. The group is comprised of psychoeducational material about a baby's social development after birth and while the baby is growing in the womb. Attendees are encouraged to think about when an infant's social development begins and consider whether this occurs before or after birth. Participants are then shown a video clip of Reissland et al.'s (2016) study showing 4D ultrasound images of foetuses mouthing in response to sounds that are presented to them outside the womb. During Baby CHAT, parents are encouraged to reflect on this information in the context of their own baby's development, including their likes and dislikes, routine and personality. The final section of the group involves generating ideas for social activities that parents can try with their baby prior to birth, such as singing to, massaging or reading to their baby. | Other | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Change on Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS)
Time frame: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
The Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS; Condon, 1993) is a self-report questionnaire for expectant mothers, designed to assess the maternal-foetal attachment during pregnancy. The scale consists of 19 items on a 5-point Likert scale assessing women's attitudes, feelings and behaviours towards their foetus. Higher total scores indicate stronger prenatal bonding i.e. a better outcome (range 19-95).
2 secondary outcomes
Change on Prenatal Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (P-PRFQ)
Time frame: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
Change on Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
Time frame: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Jun 2025.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Rebecca C Cockburn principal investigator
King's College London
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Baby CHAT in people with Depression and Pregnancy, run by King's College London at 1 site in United Kingdom.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 25 Jun 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change on Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) (time frame: Baseline, up to 48-hours post-intervention, 1-month follow-up). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Jun 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.