Evaluation of a Novel Intervention Aimed at Instilling Future-oriented Mindsets and Behaviors Using a Smartphone Application and Immersive Virtual Reality

NCT05578755 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 772911-CRIMETIME
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 321
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Short-term thinking, or the inability to make informed tradeoffs between immediate benefits and longer-term costs, has been related to a variety of negative or self-defeating behaviors, such as substance use, impulsive decision making, and delinquency, whereas future-oriented thinking tends to be positively associated with positive behaviors, such as self-esteem, planning, and goal-directed behaviors. To bolster people's psychosocial development, the investigators are developing an intervention, FutureU, aimed at instilling future-oriented mindsets and behaviors by strengthening people's identification with who they may be in the future, i.e., their 'future self'. Through the use of a smartphone application (app) and immersive virtual reality (VR), participants interact with a visual representation of their future self. In the present study, the investigators will evaluate the current iteration of this intervention and compare the FutureU app and FutureU VR with each other and with a goal-setting control group. Knowledge and insights gained from this study will be used to further develop the FutureU intervention program and can provide insights for intervention theory building and implementation strategies.

Conditions

Future Orientation; Self-defeating Behavior; Future Self-identification

Keywords

Smartphone application; Virtual reality; Digital behavior change intervention; Future self-identification; Future orientation; Self-defeating behavior; Goals; Short-term mindsets; Long-term mindsets; Intervention; Randomized Controlled Trial; Engagement

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Future self-identification

  Future self-identification, that is, the degree to which people have a clear image of their future self and can identify with their future self, will be assessed with 8 items based on Hershfield et al. (2009) and Van Gelder et al. (2015). These items measure the degree to which people can imagine their future self vividly (i.e., vividness), the level of positive feelings towards the future self (i.e., valence), and the extent to which people feel connected and similar to their future self (i.e., relatedness).

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 weeks after baseline (i.e., during the intervention), 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Future Orientation

  Future orientation measuring time perspective, anticipation of future consequences, and planning ahead will be assessed with the Future orientation Scale (Steinberg et al., 2009) consisting of 15 items (α = .80).

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 weeks after baseline (i.e., during the intervention), 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Consideration of future consequences

  The degree to which people take immediate versus distant consequences into account in potential behaviors will be assessed with the Consideration of Future Consequences questionnaire (Bruderer Enzler, 2013; Strathman et al., 1994) consisting of 9 items.

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Self-defeating behavior

  Self-defeating behavior, that is, behaviors with immediate gains though long-term costs, will be measured with 15 items representing different self-defeating behaviors based on the measure of Van Gelder et al. (2015).

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 weeks after baseline (i.e., during the intervention), 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Goal commitment

  Commitment to the goal participants set for the year will be measured using the Goal Commitment Questionnaire (Hollenbeck et al., 1989) which consists of 7 items (α = .71).

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Goal achievement

  Weekly and monthly goal achievement will be assessed with 3 self-developed items measuring how often participants thought about their goal, worked towards their goal, and to what extend they achieved their goal.

  Assessed during the 3-week intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Self-efficacy

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Academic results

  Up to 10 months after baseline

• Impulsiveness

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

Other Outcomes (5)

• Thinking about the future

  Change from baseline to 6-months follow-up (assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 weeks after baseline (i.e., during the intervention), 3 weeks after baseline (i.e., post measurement), and 3- and 6-months follow-up)

• Personality

  Assessed at baseline and 6-months follow-up.

• Users' engagement and log data of the smartphone application

  Assessed during the 3-week intervention.

Study Arms (3)

Smartphone-based intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: FutureU

Virtual reality intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: FutureU

Goal-setting control condition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Goal-setting

Interventions

FutureU BEHAVIORAL

FutureU is based on the assumption that future orientation can be strengthened by increasing the extent to which people identify with their future self. People who identify more with their future self appear to be more inclined to make more altruistic choices favoring their future self and foregoing immediate gratification. The intervention provides psychoeducation and exposure to and interaction with the future self. Participants interact with a digitally aged version of themselves, i.e., their 'future self', using a smartphone application (app) or through immersive virtual reality (VR). The app consists of three week-long modules. Participants interact with the app on a daily basis for about 5 minutes a day for 21 consecutive days. The VR consists of three sessions, each lasting about 30 minutes. Each VR session is guided by a trained researcher.

Smartphone-based intervention; Virtual reality intervention

Goal-setting BEHAVIORAL

In the control condition participants set goals (as in the intervention conditions), but receive no further guidance.

Goal-setting control condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• First-year university student
• Dutch speaking

You may not qualify if:

• Epileptic symptoms (due to VR condition)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universiteit Leiden: lead

Study Sites (1)

Leiden University

Leiden, South Holland, 2333AK, Netherlands

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Mertens ECA, Siezenga AM, Tettero T, van Gelder JL. A future orientation intervention delivered through a smartphone application and virtual reality: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychol. 2022 Dec 20;10(1):315. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-01025-x.

  PMID: 36539846 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Organizational Objectives

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Organization and Administration; Health Services Administration

Study Officials

• Jean-Louis van Gelder, Prof.dr.dr.

  Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security, and Law; Leiden University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: There are three arms: 1) smartphone-based intervention, 2) immersive virtual reality intervention, and 3) active, goal-setting, control group

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 5, 2022
• First Posted: October 13, 2022
• Study Start: October 19, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2023
• Study Completion: January 31, 2024
• Last Updated: May 8, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-05

Locations

NL (1)