Behavior, HealthNCT06145919
Parent-Child Memory Study: Improving Future Thinking Among Mothers
A study testing Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) and Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) in people with Behavior, Health, run by Henry Ford Health System at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Behavior, Health
- What is being tested?
- Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) and Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 144 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 6 Feb 2024to 31 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 5 years and older
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Parent Inclusion Criteria:
- A mother and or grandmother from the Flint area with a child/grandchild between the ages of 5-10 who can provide legal consent for that child
- Self-report that they have consistent contact with the child/grandchild
- Willing to participate in the study
- Able to participate in written assessments and an intervention conducted in English
- Have a working cell phone that can receive and send text messages and be willing to receive/send text messages as part of the study
- Have a phone or device that's able to use video conferencing software if interested in virtual participation
Parent Exclusion Criteria:
- Self-disclosed active suicidality/homicidality
- Self-disclosed current bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis
- Self-reported current and ongoing involvement with child protective services
Child Inclusion Criteria:
- Children must be between the ages of 5-10 and have a mother/grandmother willing to provide consent for their participation
- Willing to participate in parent-child observation sessions
- Elementary proficiency in English
- Willing to participate in study surveys
Child Exclusion criteria:
- Self-disclosed active suicidality/homicidality
- Self-disclosed current bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Mothers of Joy Institute for Parenting and Family Wellness, Inc
Flint, Michigan, 48503
Shearese Stapleton
About this study
Official title: Parent-Child Memory Study: Improving Future Thinking Among Mothers From a Traditionally Underserved Community to Reduce Harsh Parenting and Improve Child Outcomes - A Randomized Controlled 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.
Read the detailed description
Harsh parenting is associated with serious and costly mental health problems among youth, including substance use, mood disorders, and suicidal ideation and behaviors. Of concern, these parenting practices are most common among families from impoverished communities; however, many behaviorally-based parenting interventions do not take into account the unique mechanisms linking environmental disadvantage to parenting approaches. While the causes of harsh parenting are complex and varied, one such mechanism may be parents' tendencies to prioritize immediate rewards (such as stopping a child's misbehavior via physical punishment like spanking and hitting) relative to larger, but delayed rewards (including improved parent-child relationship quality), known as delay discounting.
The aims of the current study are to conduct a Stage 1 parent-child dyad randomized control trial (RCT) (n = 72) examining the effectiveness of a brief, episodic future thinking (EFT) intervention in a community setting serving low-income mothers and additional implementation data. Participants will be randomized to receive either Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) or Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) intervention arms. This case series will examine the efficacy of episodic future thinking (EFT) compared to episodic recent thinking (ERT) to target reduction of parenting-related delay discounting. Outcomes will evaluate the effect of EFT on reducing maternal delay discounting and harsh parenting and improving child clinical outcomes.
- Conditions
- Behavior, Health
- Being tested
- Episodic Future Thinking (EFT), Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)
- Keywords
- episodic future thinking, episodic recent thinking, delay discounting, parent-child relations, low resource, Flint, Michigan, special play time
- Medical subject headings
- Health Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)Behavioural
The adapted episodic future thinking (EFT) intervention will focus on generation of vivid, substance-free, rewarding events that could happen in the future with their children.
Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)Behavioural
In the episodic recent thinking (ERT) condition, the participant will instead describe in vivid details events that have occurred in the recent past.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) | Experimental | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) |
| Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) | Active comparator | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Monetary Choice Questionnaire
The Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) is a 27-item binary-choice task, which asks participants to select between two hypothetical monetary amounts: a smaller reward available immediately (e.g. $49 today) or a larger reward available after a delay (e.g. $60 in 89 days). The measure is scored to derive a discounting rate k, with larger values reflecting more problematic rates of discounting. Because k distributions are typically skewed, post-hoc natural logarithmic transformations will be performed, which have been shown to approximate normal distributions. The MCQ has been shown to have strong psychometric properties among adults and correlates with real rewards, as well as real-world risk behaviors.
Measured: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Change in Consideration of Future Consequences Scale Score
The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale1 (CFCS-14) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire that assesses active consideration of longer-term implications of an individual's actions. Lower scores on the CFCS-14 are associated with a greater focus on immediate needs and have been found to be associated with less engagement in health behaviors1819 and greater substance use. The measure has been used extensively among adult samples and demonstrates strong reliability and validity. Research suggests modest but significant correlations with the MCQ. Change in CFCS-14 score is measured by comparing scores at the post-intervention assessment timepoints with baseline scores.
Measured: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in Alabama Parenting Questionnaire Score
Parents will report on their parenting styles and behavior using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ). The APQ consists of five subscales that yield two broadband "positive" and "negative" parenting factors. The measure is widely used and validated among parenting populations. 42 items are ranked on a scale of 1-5 and scores are computed for each subscale (with possible scores ranging from 3-15 for corporal punishment to 10-50 for longer subscales including parental monitoring and involvement). Higher scores reflect greater levels of each subscore domain.
Measured: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Change in Emotion Regulation Checklist
Parents will report on children's emotion regulation using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ECR). The ECR includes 24 items that yield two subscales: (1) lability/negativity and (2) emotion regulation. The measure is widely used and validated for parent-report of older children and young adolescents.
Measured: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Nov 2023
- Study start6 Feb 2024
- Primary completion31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Behavior, HealthStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 144 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Henry Ford Health System
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Kansas, University of Maryland, College Park, Michigan State University
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Melissa Maye, Henry Ford Health System
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06145919
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NHRCT: 16828-01
- Status last verified
- May 2025
- First submitted
- 17 Nov 2023
- Last updated
- 14 May 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Felton JW, Collado A, Cinader M, Lejuez CW, Chronis-Tuscano A, Yi R. Exposure to maternal depressive symptoms and growth in adolescent substance use: The mediating role of delay discounting. Dev Psychopathol. 2021 Oct;33(4):1279-1289. doi: 10.1017/S0954579420000486.
PubMed 32519638Dassen FC, Houben K, Jansen A. Time orientation and eating behavior: Unhealthy eaters consider immediate consequences, while healthy eaters focus on future health. Appetite. 2015 Aug;91:13-9. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.03.020. Epub 2015 Mar 23.
PubMed 25814191Felton JW, Collado A, Ingram KM, Doran K, Yi R. Improvement of Working Memory is a Mechanism for Reductions in Delay Discounting Among Mid-Age Individuals in an Urban Medically Underserved Area. Ann Behav Med. 2019 Oct 7;53(11):988-998. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaz010.
PubMed 30955043Lin H, Epstein LH. Living in the moment: effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting. Behav Neurosci. 2014 Feb;128(1):12-9. doi: 10.1037/a0035705.
PubMed 24512061Moreland, A.M., Felton, J.F., Hanson, R.F., Jackson, C., & Dumas, J.E. (2016). The relation between parenting stress and parenting locus of control: Mechanisms of change in parenting interventions. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 2046-2054.
Snider SE, DeHart WB, Epstein LH, Bickel WK. Does delay discounting predict maladaptive health and financial behaviors in smokers? Health Psychol. 2019 Jan;38(1):21-28. doi: 10.1037/hea0000695. Epub 2018 Nov 26.
PubMed 30474996Stein JS, Wilson AG, Koffarnus MN, Daniel TO, Epstein LH, Bickel WK. Unstuck in time: episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and cigarette smoking. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016 Oct;233(21-22):3771-3778. doi: 10.1007/s00213-016-4410-y. Epub 2016 Aug 23.
PubMed 27553824
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 May 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Parent-Child Memory Study: Improving Future Thinking Among Mothers From a Traditionally Underserved Community to Reduce Harsh Parenting and Improve Child Outcomes - A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06145919
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NHRCT: 16828-01
- Conditions
- Behavior, Health
- Keywords
- episodic future thinking, episodic recent thinking, delay discounting, parent-child relations, low resource, Flint, Michigan, special play time
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 144 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Henry Ford Health SystemUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Kansas, University of Maryland, College Park, Michigan State University
- Study start
- 6 Feb 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 24 Nov 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Detailed description
Harsh parenting is associated with serious and costly mental health problems among youth, including substance use, mood disorders, and suicidal ideation and behaviors. Of concern, these parenting practices are most common among families from impoverished communities; however, many behaviorally-based parenting interventions do not take into account the unique mechanisms linking environmental disadvantage to parenting approaches. While the causes of harsh parenting are complex and varied, one such mechanism may be parents' tendencies to prioritize immediate rewards (such as stopping a child's misbehavior via physical punishment like spanking and hitting) relative to larger, but delayed rewards (including improved parent-child relationship quality), known as delay discounting.
The aims of the current study are to conduct a Stage 1 parent-child dyad randomized control trial (RCT) (n = 72) examining the effectiveness of a brief, episodic future thinking (EFT) intervention in a community setting serving low-income mothers and additional implementation data. Participants will be randomized to receive either Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) or Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) intervention arms. This case series will examine the efficacy of episodic future thinking (EFT) compared to episodic recent thinking (ERT) to target reduction of parenting-related delay discounting. Outcomes will evaluate the effect of EFT on reducing maternal delay discounting and harsh parenting and improving child clinical outcomes.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) | Experimental | Behavioral: Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)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. |
| Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) | Active comparator | Behavioral: Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)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 may qualify
- Ages
- 5 years and older
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Episodic Future Thinking (EFT)The adapted episodic future thinking (EFT) intervention will focus on generation of vivid, substance-free, rewarding events that could happen in the future with their children. | Behavioural | Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) |
| Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT)In the episodic recent thinking (ERT) condition, the participant will instead describe in vivid details events that have occurred in the recent past. | Behavioural | Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) |
Primary outcome
Change in Monetary Choice Questionnaire
Time frame: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
The Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) is a 27-item binary-choice task, which asks participants to select between two hypothetical monetary amounts: a smaller reward available immediately (e.g. $49 today) or a larger reward available after a delay (e.g. $60 in 89 days). The measure is scored to derive a discounting rate k, with larger values reflecting more problematic rates of discounting. Because k distributions are typically skewed, post-hoc natural logarithmic transformations will be performed, which have been shown to approximate normal distributions. The MCQ has been shown to have strong psychometric properties among adults and correlates with real rewards, as well as real-world risk behaviors.
Change in Consideration of Future Consequences Scale Score
Time frame: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale1 (CFCS-14) is a 14-item self-report questionnaire that assesses active consideration of longer-term implications of an individual's actions. Lower scores on the CFCS-14 are associated with a greater focus on immediate needs and have been found to be associated with less engagement in health behaviors1819 and greater substance use. The measure has been used extensively among adult samples and demonstrates strong reliability and validity. Research suggests modest but significant correlations with the MCQ. Change in CFCS-14 score is measured by comparing scores at the post-intervention assessment timepoints with baseline scores.
2 secondary outcomes
Change in Alabama Parenting Questionnaire Score
Time frame: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Change in Emotion Regulation Checklist
Time frame: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 May 2025.
- Background: PubMed 32519638Felton JW, Collado A, Cinader M, Lejuez CW, Chronis-Tuscano A, Yi R. Exposure to maternal depressive symptoms and growth in adolescent substance use: The mediating role of delay discounting. Dev Psychopathol. 2021 Oct;33(4):1279-1289. doi: 10.1017/S0954579420000486.
- Background: PubMed 25814191Dassen FC, Houben K, Jansen A. Time orientation and eating behavior: Unhealthy eaters consider immediate consequences, while healthy eaters focus on future health. Appetite. 2015 Aug;91:13-9. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.03.020. Epub 2015 Mar 23.
- Background: PubMed 30955043Felton JW, Collado A, Ingram KM, Doran K, Yi R. Improvement of Working Memory is a Mechanism for Reductions in Delay Discounting Among Mid-Age Individuals in an Urban Medically Underserved Area. Ann Behav Med. 2019 Oct 7;53(11):988-998. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaz010.
- Background: PubMed 24512061Lin H, Epstein LH. Living in the moment: effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting. Behav Neurosci. 2014 Feb;128(1):12-9. doi: 10.1037/a0035705.
- BackgroundMoreland, A.M., Felton, J.F., Hanson, R.F., Jackson, C., & Dumas, J.E. (2016). The relation between parenting stress and parenting locus of control: Mechanisms of change in parenting interventions. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 2046-2054.
- Background: PubMed 30474996Snider SE, DeHart WB, Epstein LH, Bickel WK. Does delay discounting predict maladaptive health and financial behaviors in smokers? Health Psychol. 2019 Jan;38(1):21-28. doi: 10.1037/hea0000695. Epub 2018 Nov 26.
- Background: PubMed 27553824Stein JS, Wilson AG, Koffarnus MN, Daniel TO, Epstein LH, Bickel WK. Unstuck in time: episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and cigarette smoking. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016 Oct;233(21-22):3771-3778. doi: 10.1007/s00213-016-4410-y. Epub 2016 Aug 23.
Related trials for Behavior, Health
Recruiting
Understanding the Neural Underpinnings of Risk-Taking Behavior in Psychiatric Disease
Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
RecruitingPhase 4
Evaluating a Dropless Postoperative Regimen After Cataract Surgery in a Vulnerable, County-hospital Population
Cataract, Surgery
Active, not recruiting
AI-Assisted Child Health Podcast Education for Nursing Students
Nursing Education
Active, not recruiting
Effect of the Thrive AI Health App on Lifestyle Behaviors and Quality of Life
Diabetes Type 2, Overweight or Obesity
Active, not recruiting
A Mobile App to Improve 24-Hour Movement Guideline Adherence in Preschoolers
Healthy, 24-Hour Movement Guidelines
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) and Episodic Recent Thinking (ERT) in people with Behavior, Health, run by Henry Ford Health System at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 May 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Julia Felton, PhD (704-995-7832, Jfelton4@hfhs.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Monetary Choice Questionnaire (time frame: Baseline, Intervention, Week 2, Month 3, Month 6, Month 9). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06145919, which also lists 7 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 May 2025.