Memory Techniques for Improving Parenting Behaviors

Overseen By Ashley Kucera, MPH

Age: Any Age

Sex: Female

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Henry Ford Health System

Disqualifiers: Active suicidality, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Psychosis, CPS involvement

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

144 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

Parents of children from impoverished communities are disproportionately more likely to engage in harsh physical discipline, which can lead to serious clinical outcomes, including suicidal ideation and attempts. One mechanism linking low resource environments and maladaptive parenting strategies is maternal delay discounting, or the tendency to value smaller, immediate rewards (such as stopping children's misbehavior via physical means) relative to larger, but delayed rewards (like improving the parent-child relationship). This study will examine the efficacy of implementing a low-cost, brief intervention targeting the reduction of maternal delay discounting to inform broader public health efforts aimed at improving adolescent mental health outcomes in traditionally underserved communities.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on behavioral interventions rather than medication changes.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) for improving parenting behaviors?

Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) has been shown to help people make better choices by imagining positive future events, which can reduce impulsive decisions. This approach has been effective in helping people with weight loss and reducing unhealthy behaviors, suggesting it might also help improve parenting behaviors by encouraging thoughtful decision-making. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is episodic future thinking (EFT) safe for humans?

The research on episodic future thinking (EFT) does not report any safety concerns, suggesting it is generally safe for humans. Studies have focused on its effectiveness for various conditions, but no adverse effects have been noted. ^{2 3 4 5 6}

How does the treatment 'Memory Techniques for Improving Parenting Behaviors' differ from other treatments for parenting behaviors?

This treatment is unique because it focuses on enhancing parents' memory and reminiscing skills to improve their parenting behaviors, unlike traditional methods that may not emphasize memory techniques. It involves training parents to use specific memory-related strategies, which can lead to better engagement and emotional regulation in children. ^{7 8 9 10 11}

Eligibility Criteria

This study is for mothers or grandmothers living in the Flint area with a child aged 5-10. Participants must have regular contact with the child, be able to use video conferencing, participate in English-written assessments and interventions, and be willing to send/receive texts.

Inclusion Criteria

You need to have a cell phone that can send and receive text messages and be willing to use it for the study.

You need to have a phone or device that can use video calls if you want to participate online.

I can read, write, and speak English well enough to participate in studies.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive either Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) or Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) intervention, including sessions with a 'peer mother' and Special Play Time training

2 weeks

1 visit (in-person), ongoing messaging

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parenting behavior and child outcomes using various questionnaires

9 months

Assessments at Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)
• Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)

Trial Overview The trial tests two methods: Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) and Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), aiming to reduce immediate reward preference that leads to harsh parenting, thereby improving parent-child relationships in low-resource settings.

Participant Groups

Group I: Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Mothers will receive episodic future thinking (EFT). Mothers will meet with a "peer mother" who will administer the EFT intervention, including generation of several specific future events reflecting positive interactions with their child. The participant will be asked to discuss their relationship with their child and to give examples of both positive and negative parenting from their personal experience. The "peer mother" will then ask the participant to think about their long-term parenting goals and will discuss how to create a vivid event that will be easy to remember. We will also teach each parent a behavioral parent training element called Special Play Time. Following this session, participants are asked to engage in messaging that will prompt them to think about future events.

Group II: Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) Active Control 1 Intervention

In the episodic recent thinking (ERT) condition, the participant will be asked to discuss their relationship with their child and to give examples of both positive and negative parenting from their personal experience. The "peer mother" will then ask the participant to think about the present and discuss how to focus on the present. Two positive recent events and two negative recent events will be used to create ERT scenes for the parent to envision their current relationship with their child. We will also teach each parent a behavioral parent training element called Special Play Time. Following this session, participants will receive messages over the course of two weeks helping parents to focus on recent events with their child.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Henry Ford Health System

Lead Sponsor

Trials

334

Recruited

2,197,000+

University of Kansas

Collaborator

Trials

157

Recruited

332,000+

University of Maryland, College Park

Collaborator

Trials

163

Recruited

46,800+

Michigan State University

Collaborator

Trials

202

Recruited

687,000+

Findings from Research

Episodic future thinking (EFT) using both drawn and written cues significantly reduces delay discounting (DD) in adults, indicating that thinking about positive future events can help people make better long-term choices.

The study found that drawn cues may be particularly effective for individuals with an immediate time perspective, suggesting flexibility in how EFT can be applied in clinical settings to improve decision-making related to health behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Written or drawn episodic future thinking cues improves delay discounting in adults. Carr, KA., Hollis-Hansen, K., Austin, K., et al.[2022]

Individuals with psychiatric disorders show significant deficits in episodic future thinking (EFT), with an overall effect size of g = -0.84, indicating less specific and detailed future event simulations compared to control groups.

Subgroup analyses revealed that these deficits are particularly pronounced in depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, suggesting that these conditions may impair the ability to mentally simulate future experiences.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychopathology and episodic future thinking: A systematic review and meta-analysis of specificity and episodic detail. Hallford, DJ., Austin, DW., Takano, K., et al.[2019]

The pilot goal-oriented episodic future thinking (GoEFT) intervention was well-accepted by low-income overweight or obese mothers, with participants appreciating the structured approach to setting and evaluating goals.

The intervention demonstrated significant efficacy in promoting weight loss, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and improving emotional control, along with reducing fat and sugar intake and alleviating stress, indicating its potential as an effective weight management strategy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Pilot Goal-Oriented Episodic Future Thinking Weight Loss Intervention for Low-Income Overweight or Obese Young Mothers. Chang, MW., Tan, A., Wegener, DT., et al.[2023]

Episodic future thinking (EFT) shows promise as an intervention for reducing problematic substance use and substance use disorders, based on a systematic review of 16 studies that demonstrated benefits in self-reported and task-based outcomes.

The review highlights the need for further research to assess the feasibility, generalizability, and long-term effects of EFT, as well as to identify factors that influence its effectiveness.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Imagining the future can shape the present: A systematic review of the impact of episodic future thinking on substance use outcomes. Collado, A., Stokes, A.[2023]

Episodic future thinking (EFT) is a promising behavioral intervention that can help reduce delay discounting and improve health behaviors, but there is significant variability in how EFT is implemented across studies.

The review highlights the need for standardized methods in generating EFT cues and suggests best practices, while also identifying gaps in research that need to be addressed to enhance the efficacy and effectiveness of EFT as an intervention.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Putting prospection into practice: Methodological considerations in the use of episodic future thinking to reduce delay discounting and maladaptive health behaviors. Brown, JM., Stein, JS.[2023]

A child-friendly episodic specificity induction (ESI) successfully encouraged 66 children aged 6 and 7 to imagine a detailed future event, which improved their performance on future thinking tasks compared to a control group.

However, the overall effect of the ESI was smaller than anticipated, suggesting that such cognitive interventions may be challenging for young children and that further development in their episodic thinking processes is needed.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using an episodic specificity induction to improve children's future thinking. Tanguay, AFN., Gardam, O., Archibald, J., et al.[2023]

The randomized controlled trial involved 44 preschoolers (24 females, 20 males) and demonstrated that parental reminiscing training significantly improved parents' reminiscing style, including their feedback and use of metamemory comments.

While the training had a clear impact on parents, the effects on children's memory and metacognition were less evident immediately after the intervention, suggesting that benefits for children may develop over a longer period.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parental reminiscing training and preschoolers' memory and metacognition: A randomized controlled trial. Léonard, C., Geurten, M., Willems, S.[2023]

A meta-regression analysis of 29 studies involving 2,345 parents showed that behavioral parent training for children with ADHD has small- to medium-sized positive effects on various parental outcomes, such as parenting competence and mental health.

Techniques that focus on manipulating antecedents of behavior and reinforcing desired behaviors were particularly effective, while higher dosages of psychoeducation were found to negatively impact parental outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meta-analysis: Which Components of Parent Training Work for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? Dekkers, TJ., Hornstra, R., van der Oord, S., et al.[2022]

In a study of 87 families with preschoolers, parents who used supportive and positive reminiscing styles helped their children engage more during memory conversations, which improved the children's memory performance.

Conversely, parents' negative evaluations during discussions about negative memories were linked to higher emotional instability in children, suggesting that how parents talk about emotions can significantly impact their child's emotional regulation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Towards a detailed understanding of preschool children's memory-related functioning and emotion regulation: The role of parents' observed reminiscence style, memory valence, and parental gender. van der Kaap-Deeder, J., Soenens, B., Mouratidis, A., et al.[2021]

Adolescents whose mothers participated in a reminiscing intervention during their toddler years demonstrated better causal coherence in their life narratives, indicating a stronger connection between past experiences and their current selves.

These adolescents also reported fewer emotional problems compared to those whose mothers did not receive the intervention, suggesting that early maternal elaborative reminiscing has lasting positive effects on adolescent well-being.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Growing Memories: Coaching mothers in elaborative reminiscing with toddlers benefits adolescents' turning-point narratives and wellbeing. Mitchell, C., Reese, E.[2022]

The traditional practice of anticipatory guidance for parents lacks a solid theoretical foundation, which limits its effectiveness and the ability to conduct meaningful research.

Incorporating social cognition theory, particularly the concept of internal working models, could enhance the understanding and application of anticipatory guidance, potentially improving its impact on parenting strategies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anticipatory guidance of parents of new infants: potential contribution of the internal working model construct. Pridham, KF.[2019]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Written or drawn episodic future thinking cues improves delay discounting in adults. [2022]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Psychopathology and episodic future thinking: A systematic review and meta-analysis of specificity and episodic detail. [2019]

3. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Pilot Goal-Oriented Episodic Future Thinking Weight Loss Intervention for Low-Income Overweight or Obese Young Mothers. [2023]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Imagining the future can shape the present: A systematic review of the impact of episodic future thinking on substance use outcomes. [2023]

5. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Putting prospection into practice: Methodological considerations in the use of episodic future thinking to reduce delay discounting and maladaptive health behaviors. [2023]

6. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using an episodic specificity induction to improve children's future thinking. [2023]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parental reminiscing training and preschoolers' memory and metacognition: A randomized controlled trial. [2023]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meta-analysis: Which Components of Parent Training Work for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? [2022]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Towards a detailed understanding of preschool children's memory-related functioning and emotion regulation: The role of parents' observed reminiscence style, memory valence, and parental gender. [2021]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Growing Memories: Coaching mothers in elaborative reminiscing with toddlers benefits adolescents' turning-point narratives and wellbeing. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anticipatory guidance of parents of new infants: potential contribution of the internal working model construct. [2019]