Autobiographical Time Travel to Alleviate Loneliness in Older Adults

NCT07792356 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IT50191 / REB#26-11
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 144
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether updating fundamental beliefs about self, others and the world using a mental time-travel group program can reduce loneliness and improve well-being in older adults when combined with multimodal social engagement opportunities. Over the span of eight sessions, participants within the experimental group will be guided to complete autobiographical simulations grounded in therapeutic techniques including reminiscence, imagery rescripting and positive future thinking. Participants within the active control group will be instructed to continue with their usual social group activities.

Conditions

Aging; Loneliness

Keywords

Aging; Loneliness; Schemas; Mental Time Travel; Imagery Rescripting; Reminiscence therapy; Future Prospection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3)

  Items are scored on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Always). Items 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19, and 20 are reverse scored. Total scores range from 20-80, with higher scores indicating greater levels of loneliness.

  Baseline, 1-month post baseline, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up

• Brief Core Schema Scale (BCSS)

  Four subscales measure: (1) negative self-belief ("I am bad"), (2) negative other-belief ("Others are bad/hostile"), (3) positive self-belief ("I am good"), and (4) positive other-belief ("Others are good/trustworthy"). Items rated on 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate greater endorsement within the subscale.

  Baseline, twice at each of the eight experimental group sessions, 1 month post-baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up

• Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

  Two 10-item subscales measure positive affect (e.g., interested, excited, proud) and negative affect (e.g., distressed, fearful, guilty). Items rated on 5-point Likert scale (1 = Very slightly or not at all; 5 = Extremely). Subscale scores range from 10-50, with higher scores indicating greater positive or negative affect.

  Baseline, twice at each of the eight experimental group sessions, 1 month post-baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (13)

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

  Baseline, 1-month post-baseline , 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up

• Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS)

  Baseline, 1-month post-baseline , 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up

• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

  Baseline, post-intervention, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up

• Social Connectedness Scale (SCS)

  Baseline, 1 month post-baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up

• Mini-Social Phobia Inventory (Mini-SPIN)

  Baseline, 1 month post-baseline, 3-month follow-up, 6-month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Mental Time Travel Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will participate in the 8-session Mental Time Travel group in addition to their regular social programming at the Kimel Family Centre at Baycrest.

Behavioral: Mental Time Travel Group; Behavioral: Social Engagement Group Activities

Social Engagement Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will participate in their regular social programming at the Kimel Family Centre at Baycrest.

Behavioral: Social Engagement Group Activities

Interventions

Mental Time Travel Group BEHAVIORAL

12 groups of six participants each. Groups will attend two 90- minute therapeutic sessions per week over a four-week period. A structured protocol session format will be used, including a short check-in, brief-assessment (i.e., PANAS and BCSS), the core session activity, a second brief-assessment (i.e., PANAS and BCSS), and a closing reflection. The primary session activities will consist of reminiscence induction, imagery rescripting, and positive prospection. In all these sessions, participants will be asked to write down their thoughts in response to the session prompts/exercises which they will not be required to share with the rest of the group. In addition to these sessions, participants will continue their usual weekly social group programming at the Kimel Centre.

Mental Time Travel Group

Social Engagement Group Activities BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this condition will continue engaging in their usual weekly social group programming provided at the Kimel Centre. The Kimel Centre offers over 300 group-based programs across multiple categories, including Fitness \& Aquatics, Lectures \& Continued Education, Mind, Body, and Soul Wellness, Performing Arts, Nutrition \& Cooking, and Fine Arts \& Crafts, with offerings varying seasonally.

Mental Time Travel Group; Social Engagement Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥65
• Elevated loneliness based on a pre-specified cutoff of 44 on the UCLA version 3 Loneliness Scale (Russell, 1997)
• Capacity to provide informed consent
• Ability to participate in group sessions twice a week for four weeks

You may not qualify if:

• A diagnosis of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, stroke, other neurodegenerative disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders
• Any condition that would limit participants' capacity to benefit from or safely and comfortably complete the protocol. Given the nature of the protocol, which involves autobiographical memory recall in a group setting, individuals with a history of trauma-related diagnoses (e.g., PTSD or acute stress disorder) and/or those who score in the severe or extremely severe range on any of the depression (≥ 21), anxiety (≥ 15), or stress (≥ 26) subscales of the DASS-21, will be excluded in order to minimize the risk of significant distress during sessions
• Participants who are unable to complete short questionnaires at each session and online at follow-up will be excluded

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Baycrest: lead
• Mitacs: collaborator
• University of Waterloo: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Baycrest Academy for Research and Education

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (22)

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  PMID: 24561919 BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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• Marks DF. Visual imagery differences in the recall of pictures. Br J Psychol. 1973 Feb;64(1):17-24. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1973.tb01322.x. No abstract available.

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  BACKGROUND

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• Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94

  BACKGROUND

• Gilbert, P., McEwan, K., Mitra, R., Franks, L., Richter, A., & Rockliff, H. (2008). Feeling safe and content: A specific affect regulation system? Relationship to depression, anxiety, stress, and self-criticism. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(3), 182-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760801999461

  BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Brian Levine, Ph.D

  Baycrest Academy for Research and Education

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• David Moscovitch, Ph.D

  University of Waterloo

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Brian Levine, Ph.D

CONTACT

416-785-2500; studyemail@baycrest.org

David Moscovitch, Ph.D

CONTACT

dmosco@uwaterloo.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 20, 2026
• First Posted: August 28, 2026
• Study Start: August 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 20, 2027
• Last Updated: August 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: De-identified data and supporting documents will be made available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) upon publication of the primary study results, with no end date.
• Access Criteria: De-identified quantitative outcome data from self-report questionnaires, along with the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and blank informed consent form, will be stored in a controlled-access component on the Open Science Framework (OSF). Qualified researchers may request access by contacting the principal investigator with a brief description of the intended use. Requests will be reviewed for scientific merit and consistency with the original participant consent, and access will be granted subject to Research Ethics Board approval where required. Memory narratives will not be shared due to the risk of participant re-identification.

Locations

CA (1)