Oregon Research Behavioral Intervention Strategies, Inc.
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).
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…
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…
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.