PENGuIN FAQ Page
Interested in learning more about the Parents Engaging Infants (PENGuIN) study?
The Parents Engaging Infants PENGuIN study (IRB# 20186), led by Dr. Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete, is interested in working with pregnant people to learn more about changes to thinking, feeling, and the brain during and after pregnancy and how that may affect the way individuals respond to their infants. We want to learn more about these changes in parents with and without past or current drug or alcohol use in order to effectively and efficiently support parents throughout the postpartum period.
You may be eligible to participate in the PENGuIN study at Oregon Health & Science University if:
- You are pregnant
- You are between 18 and 50 years old
If eligible for the study, your participation would involve completing tasks that have to do with your thinking and feeling, questionnaires, interviews, and biological sample collection (hair, saliva, and nail clippings).
Have questions? Please see our FAQ below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The researchers at OHSU are studying changes to thinking, feeling, and the brain during and after pregnancy, how that may affect the way individuals bond with their infants, and how mental health and well-being can first start.
You would receive the following for study activities you are eligible to complete:
- Up to $20 for an online screening
- Up to $100 for a 3rd trimester visit
- Up to $95 for 6 Week Postpartum visit
- Up to $135 for 6 Month Postpartum visit
- $50 bonus for participants who complete all postpartum visits
You may receive up to $400 for completing the study.
Study activities you are eligible to complete would last approximately:
- 20-25 minutes for the online screen
- 3 hours 45 minutes – 4 hours 45 minutes for the 3rd Trimester Visit
- 2 hours 45 minutes – 3 hours 45 minutes for 6 Week Postpartum Visit
- 5-6 hours for 6 Month Postpartum Visit
If interested, you will complete the quick online screen. If the online screen shows that you are eligible for an initial interview, then you will be scheduled for an interview, which will be conducted virtually (via an online video-conferencing platform). This visit will allow us to confirm eligibility criteria for your participation in postpartum visits, which will include questionnaires, psychiatric interviews, tasks with your baby, and a small collection of nail, hair, and saliva samples.
The visits that occur after you give birth will involve questionnaires, clinical interviews, tasks that have to do with thinking and feeling, and tasks that you will complete with your baby. The tasks with your baby will be filmed to ensure we are observing your interactions accurately. These videos will be saved in an encrypted computer and only those on the study team will have access. Postpartum visits will be completed virtually (via an online video-conferencing platform).
A data repository is a shared place to store data. The investigators, study staff, and others at OHSU may share your information with other researchers, who may use it for future research studies. Other investigators who may receive study data, including medical information, for research will also be given information that may identify you or your family members. To help us protect your privacy, we have obtained a Certificate of Confidentiality to protect your privacy even from people who try to get your information using a court order.
That’s fine! If you get a call from a researcher, just tell them you don’t want to participate and they will not contact you again.