Maternal Outcomes: Mood, Alcohol Use, and Depressive Symptoms (MOMS-AD)

Maternal Outcomes: Mood, Alcohol Use, and Depressive Symptoms (MOMS-AD Pilot Study)

This study aims to learn about depression and alcohol use in postpartum mothers and whether an intervention based on contingency management and problem-solving therapy (CM-PST) can help reduce these symptoms. The main questions it seeks to answer are:

1. How do new mothers fare with depressive symptoms and alcohol use in the first 12 months after giving birth?
2. Will a CM-PST intervention reduce depressive symptoms and alcohol use frequency among new mothers?
3. Is a CM-PST intervention practical for new mothers?

The researchers will recruit approximately 30 new mothers and randomly select half to attend a 6-week CM-PST intervention. They will compare those who received the intervention versus those who did not to see if there are any differences in their depressive symptoms and alcohol usage.

Participants will:

• Complete 4 remote intervention sessions over 6 weeks
• Conduct at-home urine drug tests 2x per week during the 6-week intervention
• Answer online surveys about their mental health and alcohol use

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Contingency Management; Alcohol Use; Postpartum Depression (PPD); Problem Solving Therapy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Contingency Management & Problem Solving Therapy; Other: Usual Care

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Hagar Hallihan, PhD, RN; Phone Number: 312-413-5361; Email: hhalli2@uic.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60612
      • University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, University of Illinois College of Medicine
      • Contact: Hagar Hallihan, PhD, RN; Phone Number: 312-413-5361; Email: hhalli2@uic.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Hagar Hallihan, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Biologically female
• Age ≥18 years
• Within 12 months postpartum
• Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Serious medical or psychiatric conditions requiring hospitalization
• Lifetime DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any psychiatric disorder
• Current use of psychoactive drugs, medication to treat problematic alcohol use, or depression
• Participation in past 6 months in problematic alcohol use or substance use treatment
• Unable to provide consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Usual Care Control Group	Other: Usual Care; Participants randomized to the usual care condition will continue to receive standard postpartum care from their obstetrician-gynecologist, consistent with routine clinical practice. No additional psychological intervention will be provided as part of the study.
Experimental: Contingency Management & Problem Solving Therapy (CM-PST) Intervention Group; Receives 4 remote sessions of CM-PST therapy over 6 weeks while conducting at home urine drug tests 2x weekly.	Behavioral: Contingency Management & Problem Solving Therapy; A 6-week online CM-PST course delivered through video conferencing calls consisting of 4 educational sessions, combined with 2x weekly at-home drug testing to monitor the reduction in alcohol use and reduced depression symptoms.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in postpartum depression symptoms	Participants will take the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at screening, baseline and at 3 months to assess changes in mental health and depressive symptoms. This is reported on a scale of 0-30; a higher score indicates a higher likelihood of postpartum depression.	Screening, Baseline, 3 months
Alcohol use test results	Participants' alcohol use will be monitored and assessed with urine drug tests at baseline, 2x weekly throughout the duration of the 6-week intervention, and at 3 months.	Baseline, Weekly, 3 months
Change in alcohol use screening status	Participants will take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) at the time of screening, baseline and at 3 months. This is reported on a scale of 0-40; a higher score indicates a higher likelihood of moderate to severe alcohol use.	Screening, Baseline, 3 months
Change in alcohol-related negative consequences	Participants will take the Rutgers Alcohol Problems Index (RAPI) at baseline and at 3 months to assess changes in problems related to alcohol use. This is reported on a scale of 0-72; a higher score indicates a higher likelihood of alcohol-related negative consequences in everyday life.	Baseline, 3 months
Change in alcohol use	Participants will take the Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) questionnaire at baseline and at 3 months to assess changes in alcohol use.	Baseline, 3 months
Change in reasons for drinking	Participants will take the Drinking Motive Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R) at baseline and at 3 months to assess changes in alcohol use motivations. This is reported on a scale of 20-100; a higher score indicates stronger motivations for alcohol use.	Baseline, 3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of intervention	Participants will complete a 10-minute interview at the end of the intervention to assess their sentiments towards CM-PST and take the Client Counseling Satisfaction Scale (CCSS). This is reported on a five-point Likert scale of 6-30, and includes an open-ended question about suggestions for future interventions. A higher score indicates a higher likelihood of participant satisfaction.	3 months
Feasibility of intervention via adherence	Participant adherence will be assessed by monitoring and documenting attendance for each intervention session and completion of urine alcohol screening tests.	3 months
Feasibility of intervention via retention	Participant retention will be assessed by monitoring and calculating the proportion of the study sample retained by the end of the intervention.	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 18, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 11, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 5, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Mental Disorders; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Complications; Drinking Behavior; Mood Disorders; Puerperal Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Behavior; Alcohol Drinking; Depression, Postpartum
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-0112

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: We will adhere to the NIH Grant Policy on Sharing of Unique Research Resources including the Principles and Guidelines for Recipients of NIH Research Grants and Contracts on Obtaining and Disseminating Biomedical Research Resources issued December 23, 1999. Data from this research will be shared and the results of this research will be made available via publication in scientific journals and through scientific meetings where our findings are reported. Publication of data shall occur during the project, if appropriate, or at the end of the project, consistent with typical scientific practices. All publications will be made publicly available consistent with NIH policies.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After analyzing data.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: SAP; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No