1000 Participants Needed

Monthly Cash Gifts for Child Development

(BFY Trial)

Age: 18+
Sex: Female
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems unlikely that medication use would affect participation, as the study focuses on the impact of cash gifts on child development.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Monthly Cash Gifts for Child Development?

Research shows that financial incentives can improve participation and retention in various programs, such as substance abuse aftercare and day hospital activities. These studies suggest that providing cash gifts may similarly encourage positive engagement and development in children.12345

How does the treatment of monthly cash gifts for child development differ from other treatments?

The treatment of monthly cash gifts for child development is unique because it involves providing financial support directly to families, rather than using traditional medical or therapeutic interventions. This approach focuses on improving child development by addressing socioeconomic factors, which is different from standard treatments that typically involve medications or behavioral therapies.678910

What is the purpose of this trial?

Recent advances in developmental neuroscience suggest that experiences early in life can have profound and enduring influences on the developing brain. Family economic resources shape the nature of many of these experiences, yet the extent to which they affect children's development is unknown. The project's team of neuroscientists, economists and developmental psychologists is seeking to fill important gaps in scientific knowledge about the role of economic resources in early development by evaluating the first U.S. randomized controlled trial to determine whether unconditional cash gift payments have a causal effect on the cognitive, socio-emotional and brain development of infants and toddlers in low-income U.S. families.Specifically, 1,000 mothers of infants with incomes below the federal poverty line from four diverse U.S. communities were recruited from post-partum wards and are receiving monthly cash gift payments by debit card for the first 76 months of the child's life. Parents in the experimental group and receiving $333 per month ($3,996 per year), whereas parents in the active comparator group are receiving a nominal monthly payment of $20. In order to understand the impacts of the added income on children's cognitive and behavioral development, the investigators are assessing treatment group differences at ages 4 (this lab assessment was postponed from age 3 to age 4 due to Covid-19), 6, and 8 in lab-administered measures of cognitive, language, and self-regulation development and maternal reports of socio-emotional development. A number of other maternal-reported child outcome measures were gathered at ages 1, 2 and 3. Brain circuitry may be sensitive to the effects of early experience even before early behavioral differences can be detected. In order to understand the impacts of added income on children's brain functioning at age 4, 6, and 8, the investigators will assess, during a lab visit, experimental/active comparator group differences in measures of brain activity (electroencephalography \[EEG\]). The targeted age for each data collection wave is around the child's birthday, i.e. at 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 72 months, and 96 months.To understand how family economic behavior, parenting, and parent stress and well-being change in response to income enhancement, the investigators will assess experimental/active comparator differences in family expenditures, food insecurity, housing and neighborhood quality, family routines and time use, parent stress, mental health and cognition, parenting practices, and child care and preschool arrangements. School readiness and outcomes are being assessed at ages 6 and 8. This study will thus provide the first definitive understanding of the extent to which income plays a causal role in determining early child cognitive, socio-emotional and brain development among low-income families.

Research Team

GD

Greg Duncan, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of California, Irvine

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for mothers over 18 with newborns not needing intensive care, living in the state of recruitment, and speaking English or Spanish. They must plan to stay in the area for at least a year and have a household income below the federal poverty line.

Inclusion Criteria

My newborn is in the nursery and doesn't need intensive care.
Mother not 'highly likely' to move to a different state or country in the next 12 months
Infant to be discharged in the custody of the mother
See 3 more

Exclusion Criteria

Mothers will not be eligible unless all of the above seven criteria are met.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Mothers receive monthly cash gift payments for 76 months to assess the impact on child development

76 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for cognitive, socio-emotional, and brain development at ages 4, 6, and 8

8 years
Lab visits at ages 4, 6, and 8

Data Collection Waves

Data collection occurs at 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 months to assess various developmental and family metrics

8 years

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Monthly cash gift payments of $20
  • Monthly cash gift payments of $333
Trial Overview The study tests if monthly cash gifts ($333 vs $20) to low-income families affect their children's brain development. It measures cognitive, language, self-regulation skills at ages 2-4 and brain activity using EEG at age 4.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Monthly cash gift payments of $333Experimental Treatment1 Intervention
These subjects receive $333 each month for 76 months via debit card.
Group II: Monthly cash gift payments of $20Active Control1 Intervention
These subjects receive $20 each month for 76 months via debit card.

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of California, Irvine

Lead Sponsor

Trials
580
Recruited
4,943,000+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials
2,103
Recruited
2,760,000+

University of Minnesota

Collaborator

Trials
1,459
Recruited
1,623,000+

University of Michigan

Collaborator

Trials
1,891
Recruited
6,458,000+

University of New Orleans

Collaborator

Trials
1
Recruited
1,000+

University of Maryland

Collaborator

Trials
171
Recruited
325,000+

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Collaborator

Trials
1,249
Recruited
3,255,000+

New York University

Collaborator

Trials
249
Recruited
229,000+

University of Nebraska

Collaborator

Trials
563
Recruited
1,147,000+

Duke University

Collaborator

Trials
2,495
Recruited
5,912,000+

References

Counselor incentives to improve client retention in an outpatient substance abuse aftercare program. [2018]
The Credit-Incentive system: motivating the participation of patients in a day hospital. [2019]
Rewarding psychiatric aides for the behavioral improvement of assigned patients. [2019]
The Reinforcing Therapist Performance (RTP) experiment: study protocol for a cluster randomized trial. [2018]
Improving timely childhood immunizations through pay for performance in Medicaid-managed care. [2023]
Preparation and enantioseparation characteristics of a novel β-cyclodextrin derivative chiral stationary phase in high-performance liquid chromatography. [2015]
Analytical enantioseparation of N-alkyl drugs by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin as mobile phase additive. [2023]
Preparation of novel beta-cyclodextrin chiral stationary phase based on click chemistry. [2016]
Thermosensitive Metal Chelation Dual-Template Epitope Imprinting Polymer Using Distillation-Precipitation Polymerization for Simultaneous Recognition of Human Serum Albumin and Transferrin. [2019]
Preparation of a New β-Cyclodextrin-bonded Chiral Stationary Phase with Thiocarbamated Benzamide Spacer for HPLC. [2023]
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