The CHEER Study has concluded and is no longer enrolling new participants.

Purpose:

The purpose of the CHEER Study was to learn more about positive emotions and rewarding experiences in young children, and to learn more about how maternal depression affects how children enjoy these experiences.

Qualifications:

1. Child enrolled in study is 6-8 years old at time of enrollment
2. Mother enrolled in the study is biological mother of child enrolled in study
3. Child enrolled in study does not have a current/prior history of depression, current anxiety disorder, history of developmental delays/disorders, current/prior history of psychiatric therapy, current speech therapy, or current/past psychiatric medication use
4. Mother enrolled in study does not have a history of mania, history of psychotic symptoms, or current/prior substance dependence

What to expect:

Participants in the CHEER Study will complete one phone interview and three in-person lab visits. The phone interview will last approximately 10-15 minutes, and will be used to determine participant eligibility for the CHEER Study.

The first in-person lab visit will last for approximately 3 hours. During this visit, child participants will engage in a computer-based task (game) where they will be able to win prizes. Mothers and children will then discuss a fun event that recently occurred in their lives and then plan a fun event that is coming up soon in their lives. Participants will be asked to provide saliva samples for DNA analysis during the first visit. Mother partipants will complete two semi-structured interviews with trained research staff during this visit, and will be asked questions about the psychiatric history of their child as well as their own psychiatric history. Mothers and children will also be asked to complete seperate questionnaires during the first visit.

The second in-person lab visit will last for about 1.5 hours, and children enrolled in the CHEER Study will participate in an fMRI scan. They will engage in multiple games while in the scanner, where they will be eligible to win prizes. They also will watch part of a desired movie while in the scanner. fMRI is a painless and non-invasive form of neuroimaging that does not use radiation. It produces images of the brain using a large magnet and computers.

The third and final in-person lab visit will take place approximately one year later, and will last for about 1 hour. This visit will consist of the same computer and event-planning tasks completed during the first lab visit. Children will also engage in additional games and activities with research staff during this visit. Mothers will be asked to re-complete questionnaires about their child's feelings/behavior and about their own psychiatric history.

Participants in the CHEER Study will be financially compensated for their participation.