Informing Implementation of a Circadian-Focused Intervention for Postpartum Depression

August 10, 2026 updated by: Leslie Swanson, University of Michigan
The proposed study is an open-label trial of Re-Timer® wearable morning bright light therapy for postpartum depression. The study is focused on evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and implementation context of morning Bright Light Treatment (mBLT) for postpartum depression.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will test a consumer health light therapy device (Re-Timer)

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Michigan
      • Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
        • Recruiting
        • University of Michigan
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Leslie Swanson, PhD
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. ≤ 6 months postpartum
  2. EPDS score >10

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Current or past-year substance use disorder
  2. Lifetime history of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
  3. Active suicidal intent
  4. Retinal pathology or history of eye surgery
  5. Current use of photosensitizing medications
  6. Untreated sleep-disordered breathing, untreated restless legs syndrome, or narcolepsy
  7. Psychotherapy or psychotropic medications started/dose changed in past month (psychotherapy started and/or current medication at stable dose ≥ 4 weeks are permitted)
  8. Medical conditions contraindicated for mBLT (e.g., epilepsy/seizures)

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

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Light therapy
Participants in the arm will be approximately 30 women who are within 6 months postpartum and have an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score > 10.
Device: Light therapy
Participants will use the Re-Timer daily for 5 weeks (approximately 35 days). All participants will be provided with a "light therapy window" during which they will wear the device for 60 mins.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Retention rate
Time Frame: At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
Number of participants who enrolled/number of participants who completed trial ( ≥70% acceptable)
At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
Adherence rate (as assessed through self-report)
Time Frame: At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
Percent of participants who completed ≥70% light therapy intervention sessions
At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Client Satisfaction Scale (CSS) score
Time Frame: At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
The Client Satisfaction Scale measures satisfaction with the treatment. Total scores range from 5-20; higher total scores indicate greater treatment satisfaction.
At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
Treatment Satisfaction Scale (TSS) score
Time Frame: At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)
The Treatment Satisfaction Scale measures the acceptability of the treatment. Total scores range from 2 to 20 ; higher scores indicate greater treatment acceptability.
At approximately 5 weeks after treatment is started (post-treatment)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Michigan

Collaborators

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Leslie Swanson, PhD, University of Michigan

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)

July 29, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 10, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HUM00285407

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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