Utilizing Smart Speaker Technology to Deliver Parenting Education Support to Parents of Young Children
Oregon Research Behavioral Intervention Strategies, Inc.
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether Talk Parenting, a voice-based program delivered through an Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa), can help parents and caregivers of children ages 3-5 years improve challenging bedtime and morning routines. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does using Talk Parenting improve families' bedtime and morning experiences and children's sleep/wake habits? Does using Talk Parenting improve parents' routine-related parenting practices and confidence, strengthen the parent-child relationship, and reduce children's behavior problems and parents' stress? Researchers will compare families who receive Talk Parenting right away to families who wait 6 weeks to receive the program (a waitlist control group receiving usual services during the wait). Participants will: Complete online questionnaires at the start of the study and again about 6 weeks later (and a follow-up questionnaire later in the study). Receive a pre-configured Amazon Echo Dot (to keep) and instructions to use Talk Parenting routines at home, including a bedtime routine, a brief calming routine, and a morning routine (enabled after the first 2 weeks).
Description
I. Study overview and rationale. This study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy, acceptability, and usability of Talk Parenting, a voice-delivered (Alexa-enabled) parenting support program intended to improve families' bedtime and morning routines for children ages 3-5 years. The trial will evaluate whether access to Talk Parenting leads to improvements in routine functioning (bedtime and morning experience), children's sleep/wake habits, parents' engagement in targeted parenting practices, parents' self-efficacy for handling routines and challenging chi…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 3–90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Referred by a participating agency * Child 3-5 years old who lives with the parent at least half time * The primary parent in the home (typically the mother but not always) * Speaks English * Has access to a computer, tablet, or mobile phone at home * Access to high-speed internet at home is desired but not required. The project will cover internet costs for a small number of participants if needed. The participating agencies all serve families who are low-income and/or experiencing economic hardship, stressful family relationships, children's behavior problems, or hous…
Interventions
- BehavioralThe Talk Parenting Program
In a 6-week session, families will use at home the Talk Parenting program, a smart speaker app designed to provide parents with in-situ experiential support for building positive family bedtime and morning routines. The Bedtime Routine, Morning Routine, and Calming Down Mini-Routine modules of Talk Parenting will guide families in creating healthy bedtime and morning routines to foster healthy sleep/wake habits, provide experiential practice in self-regulation skills, and promote a positive parent-child relationship.
Location
- Oregon Research Behavioral Intervention Strategies, Inc.Springfield, Oregon