Parent coaching may rewire kids' brains to fight depression
NCT ID NCT06725160
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether teaching mothers with depression to encourage positive emotions in their young children (ages 4-6) can increase the child's brain response to rewards. 180 mother-child pairs will be randomly assigned to either a parent-coaching program or general parenting support. Brain activity is measured before and after using EEG.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Parent coaching (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a simple parenting strategy to strengthen children's brain reward systems, potentially reducing future depression risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early mechanistic study (180 participants) looking at brain signals, not clinical outcomes. The coaching is brief (3 sessions) and may not produce lasting changes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 180 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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4 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
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: * T-score greater than 63 on the internalizing or externalizing composites of the CBCL * Lifetime history of a psychiatric illness * Lifetime history of neurodevelopmental disorder * Lifetime history of neurological disorder
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Pittsburgh
RECRUITINGPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States
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