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

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests two techniques, Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) and Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT), to help mothers improve their parenting skills. The goal is to reduce harsh discipline by encouraging mothers to focus on the long-term benefits of positive interactions with their children. Mothers living in Flint, who regularly spend time with their children aged 5-10 and are open to trying new strategies, might be a good fit. Participants will engage in sessions and receive follow-up messages to reinforce the techniques. As an unphased trial, this study offers mothers a unique opportunity to explore innovative strategies for enhancing their parenting skills.

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 prior data suggests that these memory techniques are safe for improving parenting behaviors?

Research on episodic future thinking (EFT) shows it is safe for humans, with no safety concerns reported. Studies have examined its potential to reduce behaviors such as choosing immediate rewards over better long-term outcomes. Although episodic recent thinking (ERT) hasn't been studied as extensively, its similarity to EFT suggests no known safety issues. Both EFT and ERT are mental exercises that encourage different perspectives on time and decisions. These methods aim to create positive changes without medication, typically resulting in fewer side effects. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these techniques because they offer a fresh approach to improving parenting behaviors through memory-based interventions. Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) encourages mothers to vividly imagine positive future interactions with their children and aligns these visions with long-term parenting goals. This forward-looking perspective could help parents make more proactive and positive decisions. On the other hand, Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) focuses on recent interactions, helping parents draw insights from recent positive and negative experiences to enhance their current parenting practices. These techniques are unique because they leverage personal memories and experiences to foster better parenting strategies, which is unlike traditional methods that might focus more on general behavioral advice rather than individual memory-based strategies.

What evidence suggests that these memory techniques could be effective for improving parenting behaviors?

Research has shown that thinking about positive future events, known as Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), can help people make better choices. This method reduces impulsive decisions, which is crucial for improving how parents interact with their children. In this trial, some participants will receive the EFT intervention, focusing on future goals to potentially reduce the use of harsh discipline.

Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) is another technique studied in this trial. It encourages parents to reflect on recent events, helping them understand and improve their current interactions with their children. Both techniques aim to enhance parenting by shifting focus from immediate reactions to either future goals or recent experiences. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

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 for a Trial Participant

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

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

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.

How Is the Trial Designed?

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+

Published Research Related to This Trial

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]

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 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) 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Citations

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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12119826/

Exploring the association between episodic future thinking ...

The findings of this study suggest that undergraduates' episodic future thinking is positively associated with learning engagement through intrinsic motivation.

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sciencedirect.com

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096525001146

Episodic future thinking and delay of gratification in children

This study examined whether individual differences predicted 8–11-year-olds' (53% M) performance on two separate DoG tasks, each with or without EFT cueing.

3.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9600440/

Parenting Styles Predict Future-Oriented Cognition in ...

This study investigated the association between parenting styles and future-oriented cognition skills in elementary school-aged children.

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withpower.com

withpower.com/trial/phase-health-behaviors-2024-f2d44

Memory Techniques 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 ...

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journals.plos.org

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0158366

Effects of Episodic Future Thinking and Self-Projection on ...

The present study is the first to investigate the benefits of episodic future thinking (EFT) at encoding on prospective memory (PM) in preschool.

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pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9669959/

Methodological considerations in the use of episodic future ...

In recent years, episodic future thinking (EFT) has emerged as a promising behavioral intervention to reduce delay discounting or maladaptive health behaviors.

7.

nature.com

nature.com/articles/s41598-025-03894-9

Exploring the association between episodic future thinking ...

The findings of this study suggest that undergraduates' episodic future thinking is positively associated with learning engagement through intrinsic motivation.

8.

frontiersin.org

frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1249090/full

Using an episodic specificity induction to improve ...

The present study implemented a child-friendly ESI in which children mentally simulated a future event and were probed for specific details about it.

9.

mdpi.com

mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1171

The Influence of Episodic Future Thinking on Prospective ...

This study examines the impact of EFT training on PM in both older and younger adults under varying delay intervals.