NCT07687524 LOVING (Learning About Our Behavior is Valuable for Increasing Nurturing Relationships and Healthy Growth) RCT
| NCT ID | NCT07687524 |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | — |
| Sponsor | National University of Singapore |
| Condition | Child Development |
| Study Type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Enrollment | 624 participants |
| Start Date | 2026-05-25 |
| Primary Completion | 2028-02-09 |
Eligibility & Interventions
Eligibility Fast-Check
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What to Expect as a Participant
You will actively receive the study intervention — which may be a drug, biologic, device, or procedure.
This trial targets 624 participants in total. It began in 2026-05-25 with a primary completion date of 2028-02-09.
⚠ This information is for research awareness only. Always consult your physician before joining any clinical trial. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Brief Summary
The LOVING study is a randomized controlled trial designed to determine whether adaptations to an internationally recognized parenting program that enhances sensitive caregiving likewise improves sensitive caregiving in Singapore and, in turn, downstream child outcomes in emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development during the early childhood years. Research shows that sensitive caregiving is linked to secure relationships, decreased child mental health problems, better executive functioning, and potentially healthier body mass indices. The Video Feedback to Improve Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD) program is an internationally recognized home-based intervention designed to enhance sensitive caregiving. However, evidence demonstrating its efficacy in Asia remains extremely limited. Moreover, most previous evaluations have focused primarily on parenting or child mental health outcomes, with newer work only beginning to focus upon additional child outcomes. In this study, families with young children from median-income and below households living in Singapore will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. Some families will participate in a locally adapted version of the home-based VIPP-SD program that includes additional health-related scenarios (VIPP-SD-SingH). Other families will be assigned to CARE-SD, which was developed within the context of proof-of-concept research. CARE-SD is a standardized, digitally delivered parenting program using vicarious pre-rendered video examples and comments derived from the VIPP-SD program and does not include personalized feedback during home visits. Furthermore, CARE-SD includes health related scenarios and language and settings familiar to families living in Singapore. A third group will receive developmental information about children's learning and development (i.e., NeuroEducation Active Control). The programs are brief and are designed to be practical and accessible for families. Families participating in the study will take part in research visits that include questionnaires, observations of parent-child interaction, and activities designed to assess children's development. Laboratory visits will take place at IHDP (a collaborating institution) research facilities. Information collected in the study will help researchers better understand how parenting support programs influence children's emotional well-being, behavior, learning, and physical health. The results of this research may help inform the development of effective programs to support families and promote healthy child development.
Eligibility Criteria
Children must be 2 to 5.5 years of age at their pre-test visit. Children with a medical or developmental condition that makes it hard for them to see, hear, move, or communicate in typical ways (for example, autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, spina bifida, or serious vision or hearing problems) will not be eligible to participate. This is because the study focuses on everyday patterns of parent-child interaction. Children with minor or symptom-free medical or genetic conditions (for example, traits that do not affect their day-to-day health or development) can take part. Parents must be between 21 and 65 years old at the time of consent. Mothers and fathers who consider themselves to have a major caregiving role are eligible. Parents who have been hospitalized for more than two weeks (inclusive) within the past 6 months and/or have had any in-patient mental health treatment within the past 6 months may not participate, nor may parents with notable neurodegenerative diagnosis such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Huntington's disease. Participants must be from families earning near to Singapore's median household income or below, provided recruitment and enrollment difficulties have not triggered a pre-defined rule leading to the omission of this requirement. Parents and children must be able to communicate in English, Mandarin, Bahasu Melayu, and/or Tamil. Participants must also be willing to be audio-video recorded and amenable to random assignment.
Contact & Investigator
Anne E Rifkin-Graboi, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
National University of Singapore
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can join the NCT07687524 clinical trial?
This trial is open to participants of all sexes, aged 2 Years or older, up to 65 Years, studying Child Development. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria are listed in the Eligibility Criteria section. Always confirm your eligibility with the research team before applying.
Is NCT07687524 currently recruiting?
Yes, NCT07687524 is actively recruiting participants. Contact the research team at jyifan@nus.edu.sg for enrollment information.
Where is the NCT07687524 trial being conducted?
This trial is being conducted at Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, Singapore and 1 additional location.
Who is sponsoring the NCT07687524 clinical trial?
NCT07687524 is sponsored by National University of Singapore. The principal investigator is Anne E Rifkin-Graboi, PhD at National University of Singapore. The trial plans to enroll 624 participants.