Creating a fun and engaging storybook to help children more effectively manage their emotions
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13142918 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13142918 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | N/A |
- Submission date
- 22/05/2018
- Registration date
- 23/05/2018
- Last edited
- 05/07/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Autobiographical memory shapes our self-identity, self-esteem and wellbeing. Conversely, ‘memory biases’, the tendency to retrieve negative over positive memories from the past and future, and ‘over-general memories’, the difficulty recalling memories of specific events, are linked with poor mental health. As these memory styles increase risk for later mental health difficulties, they could be a potential target for interventions promoting wellbeing. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a storybook intervention co-produced by research and clinical scientists, a children’s artist, and children aged 6-9 years old (and their parents), can teach children (and their parents/guardians) more ‘helpful’ memory styles.
Who can participate?
Children aged 6-9 years
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups, who receive either the intervention or control storybook. Both storybooks contain the same pictures and format and consist of a story, rationale and six exercises to be completed over a period of 3 weeks. Through a story about a central character, the intervention storybook includes information on how maladaptive responses to negative memories (such as avoidance) are unhelpful and suggests alternative positive responses (such as building detailed memories). It also provides information on building detailed positive future images. The text of the control storybook differs so that content on memory processes is not included. Feedback is solicited from children and parents/guardians.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
It is not yet certain whether taking part will be of benefit to participants, but they will help to work out how best to support children, parents and teachers. There are no known risks for taking part in this study, but it is possible that talking about events in the past may make a child feel sad, and there will always be someone available for them to talk to and who can help.
Where is the study run from?
King's College London (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2017 to December 2020
Who is funding the study?
British Academy (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Victoria Pile
victoria.pile@kcl.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
Department of Psychology
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
King's College London
Denmark Hill
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-9177-2844 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7848 0389 |
| victoria.pile@kcl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Interventional feasibility randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | Improving cognitive health and wellbeing in children: increasing the specificity of future positive memories and past negative memories using storybook narratives and character illustrations |
| Study objectives | The aim of this study is to investigate the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a storybook intervention targetting memory processes in children. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery Research Ethics Subcommittee of the College Research Ethics Committee (CREC) at King's College London, 23/05/2018, ref: HR-16/17-4115 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Depression and anxiety |
| Intervention | Children will be randomly allocated to receive the storybook ("My Memory Forest") or control intervention. Both will contain the same pictures and format. Both the storybooks will consist of a story, rationale and 6 exercises to be completed over a period of three weeks. Through a story about a central character, "My Memory Forest" includes information on how maladaptive responses to negative memories (such as avoidance) are unhelpful and suggests alternative positive responses (such as building detailed memories). It also provides information on building detailed positive future images. The text of the control book will differ so that content on memory processes is not included. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention are assessed by recording numbers of eligible participants, recruitment rate, retention rate, outcome measure completion rate, data completeness, data on adherence/compliance, and feedback questionnaires |
| Secondary outcome measures | All measures are administered pre and post intervention unless otherwise stated Child measures: 1. Depression is measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) 2. Anxiety is measured using the social anxiety, generalised anxiety and separation anxiety subscales on the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) 3. Self-esteem is measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale 4. Memory specificity is measured using the Autobiographical Memory Task pre and post-intervention 5. Mental imagery for future events is measured using the Prospective Imagery Task 6. Participants will be asked to complete positive and negative mood ratings before and after completing each exercise Parent report: 1. Internalising symptoms (for the child) will be measured using the subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 2. Depression is measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) 3. Anxiety is measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) 4. Mental imagery for future events is measured using the Prospective Imagery Task |
| Overall study start date | 30/06/2017 |
| Completion date | 31/12/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | All |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 6 Years |
| Upper age limit | 9 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 56 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Children aged 6-9 years |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Child/caregiver has insufficient English language ability to complete the questionnaire measures and intervention 2. Child has severe learning disability or sensory impairment |
| Date of first enrolment | 30/05/2018 |
| Date of final enrolment | 05/06/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Guy’s Campus
London
SE1 4UL
England
United Kingdom
| Website | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/index.aspx |
|---|---|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/0220mzb33 |
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Private sector organisation / Universities (academic only)
- Alternative name(s)
- The British Academy
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2021 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | 1. Planned publication of outcomes to peer-reviewed journal within a year from end of trial 2. Dissemination via conferences and to schools/NHS services at a local level 3. Protocol will be available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | It is planned to make individual participant data available on publication of the associated study results, via a publicly-available data repository such as Open Science Framework. Data made available will be the research data reported in the publication, with the exception of any data that could compromise participant anonymity. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | feasibility results | 24/06/2021 | 05/07/2021 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
05/07/2021: Publication reference added.
