Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Amish and Mennonite Participants in AMBiGen

May 1, 2026 updated by: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

People have had to make a lot of changes to their lives due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Most experts agree that social distancing and other safety measures have taken a toll on people s mental health. Amish and Mennonite communities often have large families. They may have limited access to health care. Their lifestyle is based on interaction and group events rather than technology. So people in Amish and Mennonite communities may experience the pandemic in their own special ways.

Objective:

To describe the relationship between stress related to the pandemic and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among Amish and Mennonite people with bipolar disorder and related conditions, and their family members.

Eligibility:

Adults ages 18 and older who are taking part in the NIMH AMBiGen study (80-M-0083).

Design:

Participants will be mailed 4 surveys. One survey will ask about depression symptoms. One survey will ask about mania symptoms. One survey will assess a broad range of psychological problems. One survey will assess the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. They will fill out the surveys 4 times over 24 months.

The surveys will not include participants names, just codes. This will help protect privacy.

Data collected in 80-M-0083 will be used. This includes data about participants genes, medical conditions, and assessments.

Participants will get an 800 number they can call to speak to the research team. They can also write to the team if they prefer. Participants who wish will get referrals for mental health services. Participation will last up to 24 months. There will be an option for recontact in the future.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

This protocol leverages existing NIMH studies and participants to accomplish time-sensitive research on the mental health impact of environmental stressors imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will describe the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among Amish and Mennonite participants in an ongoing study of bipolar disorder (AMBiGen), and their family members.

Objectives: The primary objective is to describe the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among individuals with bipolar disorder, related conditions, and their family members. The secondary objectives are to determine the roles played by psychiatric diagnosis, genetic risk of various mental illnesses, and perceived social support in moderating risk and resilience for mental health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
193

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The sample size will be up to 1,000 and will include participants 18 years and older of both sexes, any gender, and health status. This sample size is an estimate of the number of individuals who have enrolled the NIMH AmBiGen study in the past and might respond if re-contacted, as well as family members who may not have enrolled in the past but are expected to share genetic, familial, and community risk/resilience factors.

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Active enrollment in Protocol 80-M-0083
  2. 18 years of age and older.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Under age 18.

INCLUSION OF VULNERABLE PARTICIPANTS:

The study will be not be targeting any vulnerable populations. We are not planning to recruit children; all participants being invited to participate have previously been assessed under Protocol 80-M-0083 as over the age of 18.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
AmBiGen
Individuals who are enrolled in AmBiGen over the last 3 years

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To describe the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among a range of participants including various patient populations and healthy volunteers.
Time Frame: assesses the stressors experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The availability of repeated measurement will allow us to establish whether changes in stressors related to COVID-19 are associated with changes in mental health symptoms and distress within subject.
assesses the stressors experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
1) Determine whether existing mental health concerns moderates the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress. 2) To identify risk and resilience factors among study particip...
Time Frame: End of study
In order to determine whether the participant has existing mental health concerns, we must collect information on a variety of symptoms related to mental health. We hypothesize that certain participant- level characteristics may be related to the mental health and behavioral impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this exploratory aim, we will evaluate a variety of sociodemographic, clinical, genetic, and behavioral variables.
End of study

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Francis J McMahon, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 28, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 23, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 23, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 10000038
  • 000038-M

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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