Clinical Research Directory

Comparative Effectiveness of SPARCS and Unified Protocol for Youth With Chronic Medical Conditions and Trauma-Related Distress

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies for improving mental health symptoms and daily functioning in youth with chronic medical conditions who have experienced psychological trauma and trauma-related distress. The study evaluates two evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies - Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) and the Unified Protocol (UP) - delivered in group and individual formats to determine which approach, or combination of approaches, best reduces trauma symptoms and supports coping and adjustment. The study will also help researchers understand how to best support youth who continue to experience distress after an initial round of therapy. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does SPARCS group therapy or UP group therapy lead to greater improvements in trauma symptoms and functional impairment? * For youth who do not show enough improvement after group therapy, does adding SPARCS or UP individual therapy lead to better outcomes? * Which sequence of group and individual therapies leads to the greatest improvements in trauma symptoms and functioning? Researchers will compare two evidence-based therapies currently offered at Ann \& Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Youth will first be randomly assigned to receive either SPARCS or UP in a group format. After completing group therapy, youth who still need additional support will be randomly assigned again to receive individual or family therapy using SPARCS or UP. This stepwise approach will help identify which sequence of therapies leads to the best overall outcomes for youth. Participants will: * Take part in group therapy sessions using either SPARCS or UP * For those needing additional support after group therapy, participate in individual SPARCS or UP therapy * Complete brief assessments of mental health and daily functioning at enrollment, and every 12 weeks thereafter for 48 weeks, as part of their regular care through Ann \& Robert H. Lurie Children's Supporting Purposeful Interventions \& Resilience in Trauma (SPIRIT) program

Labor Education to Reduce Postpartum Traumatic Stress

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is determine if education on common events in labor in nulliparous women can reduce the postpartum traumatic symptoms. The main question it aims to answer are: * Does prenatal education on labor events reduce post-traumatic symptoms, as measured by thePost Traumatic Stress Disorder Cecklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health Disorders (PCL-5) at 6 weeks postpartum? * Does prenatal education on labor affect labor outcomes? Participants will be given surveys: * At enrollment on mental health and previous traumatic experiences * After education on expectations on childbirth * After delivery on experience of childbirth * At 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum on traumatic symptoms and mental health outcomes. They will also have the option to participate in collection of discarded cerebrospinal fluid, blood and serum and physiologic sensitivity testing.

A Feasibility Mixed Methods Study of the Intervention Take Your Sexuality Back for Sexually Traumatized Women.

This study looks at the potential effects of a new group treatment called "Take Your Sexuality Back", designed for women who have experienced sexual trauma. Investigators will collect information in two ways-through forms that participants fill out themselves and through ECG measurements during a stress tests. Data will be collected before the treatment, right after it, and again three months later. When all data are collected and analyzed investigators will carry out in-depth interviews with participants and explore how they felt about being tested and how they understand the results -especially if some numbers look unusual or surprising. The goal with this study is to create a strong foundation for a future larger-scale study of the treatment by testing the methods, estimating the size of possible effects and identify outcome measurements that are experienced as meaningful to the participants.

Between the Belly and the Brain: Distorted Gut-brain Crosstalk in Early-life Adversity

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the effects of early-life adversity (ELA) on the composition of children's microbiome and on their psychosocial functioning. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do children who have experienced ELA have lower gut microbial diversity and/or an altered gut microbial composition? * Do these microbiome alterations correlate with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including increased levels of stress, social and/or affective problems?