Can a 15-minute chat ease new parents' darkest thoughts?
NCT ID NCT07725341
First seen Jul 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
Many new parents experience unwanted, distressing thoughts about harming their baby, yet these are often overlooked and cause shame. This trial tests whether a single 15-30 minute session of psychoeducation can help parents reinterpret these thoughts and reduce their impact. The study enrolls 30 parents of infants under 3 months who already have a tendency to misinterpret such thoughts.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a single-session psychoeducational intervention about postpartum intrusive thoughts
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this brief intervention could offer a low-cost, accessible way to reduce distress and shame for new parents experiencing intrusive thoughts.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early trial with only 30 participants, so results may not generalize. The intervention is very brief, and its effects on long-term outcomes are unknown.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: 1. age 18 or older 2. fluent in English, per self-report 3. became a parent of an infant in the past 3 months (biological, adoptive, or caregiving parent) 4. elevated interpretation bias (score of \>131 on Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44; 1 SD above mean of non-clinical sample) 5. endorse, "In the past week, have you had images pop into your head that you didn't want, like violent or horrible scenes or something of a sexual nature?" or "how about having urges to do something that kept coming back to you even though you didn't want them to, like an urge to harm a loved one?" Exclusion criteria: None
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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 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.