Clinical Research Directory

Relationship Between the Severity of Sleep Deprivation in the First 48 Hours Postpartum, Breastfeeding Motivation, and Breastfeeding Success

The postpartum period is a critical time marked by significant physiological and psychosocial changes that can affect sleep, emotional well-being, and breastfeeding behaviors. Previous studies indicate that mode of delivery and sleep quality are closely associated with breastfeeding outcomes, with cesarean birth often linked to poorer sleep and lower breastfeeding success. Evidence also suggests that postpartum sleep disturbances are related to reduced breastfeeding self-efficacy, lower motivation, fatigue, depressive symptoms, and shorter breastfeeding duration. However, the literature lacks studies that evaluate insomnia severity, breastfeeding motivation, and breastfeeding success simultaneously-particularly during the first 48 hours after birth. This analytical study aims to assess insomnia severity, breastfeeding motivation, and breastfeeding success (LATCH) within the first 48 postpartum hours and to examine the relationships among these variables. Findings are expected to support early postpartum clinical interventions to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

The Effect of Artificial-Intelligence-Assisted Videos on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and LATCH Scores in First-Time Mothers

As of 2024, nearly half (48%) of infants under six months worldwide are exclusively breastfed, approaching the global target of 50%. Building on this progress, the World Health Organization has extended the target to 60% by 2030, emphasizing the need for innovative, scalable, and supportive interventions to strengthen breastfeeding practices. Breastfeeding has well-established benefits for infant growth, immunity, and long-term health, while also reducing maternal postpartum complications and chronic disease risks. Early postpartum support, particularly within the first hours after birth, is critical for successful and sustained breastfeeding. However, in busy clinical settings, providing continuous and individualized support can be challenging, especially for primiparous women who may experience low confidence, pain, and insufficient guidance. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of an artificial intelligence (AI)-supported relaxing breastfeeding video on breastfeeding self-efficacy, breastfeeding motivation, and LATCH scores among primiparous women. Unlike instructional videos, the AI-based video is designed to promote emotional relaxation, instinctive breastfeeding perception, and maternal confidence during the early postpartum period. The study adopts a two-arm randomized controlled experimental design. The population consists of primiparous women who deliver vaginally at Ağrı Training and Research Hospital postpartum unit between February and June 2026. A priori power analysis (α=0.05, power=0.95) indicated a minimum sample size of 38 participants; considering a 20% attrition rate, a total of 46 women (23 per group) will be recruited. Eligible participants include primiparous, Turkish-speaking women without postpartum or neonatal complications. Women who undergo cesarean delivery, have medical or psychiatric conditions preventing breastfeeding, or whose newborns require intensive care will be excluded. Participants will be randomized into intervention and control groups using an online randomization tool. All participants will receive a standardized 5-minute breastfeeding education based on the Turkish Ministry of Health breastfeeding counseling guidelines. In addition to standard care, the intervention group will watch a 10-minute AI-supported relaxing video at the 2nd and 6th postpartum hours during breastfeeding. The video will be displayed via tablet while the mother is in a comfortable breastfeeding position. The control group will receive standard care only. The AI-generated video will be produced using Kling AI, a generative video platform that enables controlled text-to-video workflows. To ensure ethical and cultural sensitivity, the video will not include real human or animal breastfeeding images. Instead, it will feature abstract, metaphorical visuals (e.g., pastel silhouettes, minimalist line art, or flat illustrations) that convey calmness, bonding, rhythm, and instinctive closeness. The final version will be selected following expert review and pilot testing with three postpartum women. Low-level white noise (\<60 dB) will accompany the video to enhance maternal relaxation and infant comfort. Data collection tools include a demographic information form, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, the Primipara Breastfeeding Motivation Scale, and the LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool. Breastfeeding observations and LATCH scoring will be conducted by an independent midwife blinded to group allocation. Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics, paired and between-group comparisons, and repeated-measures analyses where appropriate. Ethical approval will be obtained from the relevant institutional ethics committee, and written informed consent will be secured from all participants. The findings are expected to contribute novel evidence on the role of AI-supported emotional and relaxing digital interventions in enhancing early postpartum breastfeeding outcomes and maternal confidence.

Neural Bases of Motivation

Effort-based decisions are essential in daily life but strongly impaired in apathy across various brain disorders. Now, significant research to unveil the neural causes of apathy is needed. A crucial corollary to this is the need to identify the brain network and neural mechanisms underlying effort-based decisions. A fronto-striatal network and the noradrenergic system are involved in effort-based decision-making and apathy. Further, motor cortical structures may play a role in effort-based decision-making. However, the role of circuits connecting the fronto-striatal network and the noradrenergic system to the motor structures has been disregarded so far. Non-invasive brain stimulation methods provide a unique and safe means to test the causal role of connectivity changes between fronto-subcortical and motor structures in effort-based decision-making. It's now necessary to have an integrative, connectionnist framework to uncover the causal role of connectivity changes between fronto-subcortical and motor structures in effort-based decision-making. The overarching goal of the present research protocol is to establish an integrative framework testing the causal role of connectivity within recurrent, bidirectional circuits between fronto-subcortical circuits and motor structures in effort-based decision-making. To achieve this overarching goal, investigators will quantifiy the causal role of effective connectivity and oscillatory synchrony in these circuits on effort-related behavior using a non-invasive brain stimulation strategy. Further, a secondary aim is to identify potential non-invasive brain stimulation methods that could increase engagement in effortful behavior, paving the way for translational clinical applications in the context of apathy. The investigators hypothesize that effort-based decision-making in healthy subjects is governed by bidirectional interactions between fronto-subcortical circuits and motor structures such as the primary motor cortex, mediated by oscillatory synchrony in specific frequency bands (e.g., theta and gamma bands). Accordingly, they hypothesize that transient, non-invasive modulation of connectivity and oscillatory synchrony between these structures in healthy human subjects will directly modulate their decision to engage in effort. Specifically, five experiments will use complementary approaches to test the hypothesis.

Effect of Critical Thinking Disposition Program on Developing Reflective Thinking and Motivation to Learn Among Nursing Students

Study Title: Effect of Critical Thinking Disposition Program on Developing Reflective Thinking and Motivation to Learn among Nursing Students Study Description: This study aims to investigate the effect of a Critical Thinking Disposition Program on nursing students' reflective thinking and motivation to learn. In the rapidly evolving healthcare environment, nurses must possess both critical thinking skills and disposition to make accurate clinical judgments and provide high-quality professional care. Many novice nurses lack critical thinking disposition, which can result in inaccurate clinical judgments and an inability to identify causes of problems. The program will target nursing students to enhance their internal motivation to think critically, solve problems, evaluate ideas, and make informed decisions. The intervention focuses on developing cognitive strategies, attitudes, and behaviors that support self-motivated learning and professional competence. Outcomes will be measured by evaluating students' reflective thinking and motivation to learn before and after the program. Primary Outcome Measures: Improvement in reflective thinking scores Increase in motivation to learn scores Secondary Outcome Measures: Development of critical thinking disposition attributes such as truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, inquisitiveness, self-confidence, and maturity

Smoking Cessation Program for the Older Smokers

This study aims to assess the effect of mobile health (mHealth) support or financial incentives and their interactive intervention effect on smoking cessation (SC) in old smokers in Hong Kong (HK).

Glucose and Motivation States

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how motivation is impacted by exercise and beverage consumption. You will be asked to report to our lab for 5 visits each separated by 2+ days over a period of 2-3 weeks.

Accelerated rTMS vs. Sham for Stroke Apathy

Apathy is a common set of symptoms seen in many people following a stroke. Apathy occurs when a person has lost motivation, becomes withdrawn, and stops doing things that used to be important to them. Apathy has a large negative impact on a person's quality of life, and can also have a large impact the people who take care of them. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments to help with apathy, and other services like therapy may be difficult to access for people who have had a stroke. To address this problem, investigators are conducting a study to find out if a form of treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be safe and helpful for people struggling with apathy after a stroke. This study will apply a new form of rTMS which can be delivered quickly to a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This study will help establish whether this treatment is safe, comfortable, and effective for people with apathy after a stroke, and will help researchers develop new forms of treatment.

Motivation for Daily Living Skills

The goal of this clinical trial is to enhance motivation to complete daily living skills among 16 to 25-year-old autistic teens and young adults. Here are the main questions the trial aims to answer: Can this trial improve motivation to complete daily living skills for skills that people know how to do but struggle to do them consistently? Can this trial improve completion of the daily living skill that the participant identifies they want to do more often? Do people report feeling more empowered to complete the daily living skill they want to do more often? Are there any characteristics of a person that make them more or less likely to benefit from the treatment? Researchers will compare treatments that target different types of motivation: * One treatment focuses on internal motivation and explores what is important to someone and then connect that value back to their daily living skill goal. * A second treatment focuses on external motivation and will explore a person finding outside sources of motivation, like rewards. * A third treatment will use a combination of both methods. Autistic teens and young adults enrolled in this study will also be asked to choose someone in their life to be involved in the study with them. This person is called an "Important Person" (IP) and can be anyone close to them, like a family member, friend, roommate, partner, etc. The IP will be expected to support the teen/young adult throughout this treatment. Participants and their IPs will: * Complete five 'talk' therapy sessions that will last 60 to 90 minutes. The IPs will join the last 15 minutes of each session) * Be assigned to one of the three motivation treatments * Fill out questionnaires before the first session, after sessions 2 through 5, and 2 weeks after therapy ends

Breastfeeding Myths and Mothers' Motivation

Breast milk is a unique and irreplaceable source of nutrition for infants, offering protection against many common childhood diseases due to its natural sterility, accessibility, and immune-boosting antibodies. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is critical for healthy growth, development, and immune support. Despite global recommendations by WHO and UNICEF, lack of knowledge and inadequate support continue to hinder optimal breastfeeding practices. One major barrier is the persistence of cultural myths and misconceptions, such as "colostrum should be discarded," or "infants need water after every feeding." These unfounded beliefs may reduce mothers' confidence and lead to early cessation of breastfeeding or premature introduction of complementary foods. This study aims to examine the relationship between mothers' belief in breastfeeding myths and their motivation to breastfeed. While prior research has explored each factor individually, no known studies have analyzed their interaction.

InformationSeekingMesolimbicEngagementStudy2

Participants will complete a treasure task during neuroimaging where they have to learn which keys open a treasure chest, and then they are tested on the contents of the treasure chest.

Weight-loss Treatment Program in Children and Adolescents

The study will evaluate the effect of an existing municipality-based and hospital-based obesity treatment in children and adolescents in relation to weight loss and motivation. This is to ensure that children who have developed obesity have the possibility to obtain a healthier lifestyle, including a healthier body weight during their school years. This study will test whether an obesity treatment program designed for school children can reduce the degree of overweight in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Enhancing Nursing Skills With SimCapture Technology

The action research aims to enhance clinical nursing skills of nursing students through the implementation of the SimCapture cloud management system. Research has found that traditional teaching methods are insufficient in cultivating students' clinical skills, and students' learning characteristics and technological developments have also placed new demands on teaching. Although the research team previously attempted blended learning and simulation-based teaching, students' technical grades have shown a declining trend. To address this issue, the researchers plan to implement the SimCapture system and, based on observational learning theory, design teaching activities to enhance students' learning motivation and self-efficacy, ultimately improving their clinical skills.

MRI Neurofeedback and Brain Circuits Related to Motivation in Healthy Participants

The purpose of this research study is to understand how healthy individuals self-regulate motivation by observing brain activity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The Effect of Animation-Based Education on Menopausal Women's Attitudes, Behaviors, and Screening Test Participation Regarding Breast Cancer

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education provided to women in menopause through animation on their attitudes toward breast cancer, behaviors, and screening test participation. The study will include a total of 136 women in the menopausal period, comprising 68 experimental group participants and 68 control group participants who have applied to the Orduyeri and Kırtepe Family Health Centers affiliated with the Bartın Public Health Institution. Women who agree to participate in the project, which will run from January to August 2025, will receive 40-45 minute training sessions in a suitable room at the ASM. The training sessions will be conducted in groups of 8-12 people. The training content will include information about the purpose, duration, and rules of the training. After providing information about the project, a pre-test will be administered. Through face-to-face interviews, researchers assigned to the project will show animated videos enriched with sound and images via an online program they have prepared. These videos will be 10-12 minutes long, and an interim test will be conducted. Three months after the pre-test, the women participating in the study will be contacted, and a final test will be administered in their own homes. Project data will be collected using the Personal Information Form, Champion Health Belief Scale, and Breast Cancer Awareness Scale. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests will be used in the statistical analysis of the project.

Financial Incentives for Veteran Therapy Completion

Recovery Resource Council (RRC) is one of the largest and most comprehensive non-profit mental and behavioral healthcare providers in North Texas. Accredited by the Joint Commission in Behavioral Health and licensed by the State of Texas as an Outpatient Treatment Center, RRC strives to promote wellness and recovery through a variety of services and programming. An important component of RRC programming is providing free counseling services to hundreds of U.S. veterans annually. While RRC observes great success for veterans who complete counseling, attendance can be a major obstacle. Veterans who approach RRC for individual counseling services and consent to participate will be randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. The control group will receive counseling as usual. The treatment group will receive $500 gift card payments upon completing their 6th, 12th, and 18th counseling sessions, i.e., $1,500 in gift cards for completing all 18 sessions, the usual prescribed length of therapy. Our primary focus is to examine the impact of the financial incentives on therapy attendance and attrition. In addition, the investigators will estimate the impact on mental health using mental health inventories collected over the course of therapy sessions.

The Effect of Motivational Interviewing on Diabetes Self-Management and Severity of Cyberchondria in Individuals With Diabetes

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of diabetes education given to individuals with diabetes using motivational interviewing technique based on the health promotion model on diabetes self-management and cyberchondria severity. Materials and Method: The population of the study consisted of 1000 individuals. The sample consisted of 64 individuals, 32 experimental and 32 control, who met the research criteria. The research will be conducted between 15.02.2025-15.03.2025 in Van Regional Training and Research Hospital Diabetes outpatient clinic. Data in the research; Descriptive Information Form, Diabetes Self-Management Scale (DMS), Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form (CSS-SF) scales will be applied. Research experiment Motivational interviewing intervention based on the health belief model will be conducted once a week for 1 month. At the end of 1 month, both scales will be administered again to individuals in both experimental and control groups.

Motivational Training Program for Pre-service Physical Education Teachers

This study presents the protocol for a non-randomized controlled trial evaluating a motivational-based training program for pre-service Physical Education teachers. The experimental group will participate in a 14-hour training program based on Self-Determination Theory and the circumplex model. The program consists of theoretical and practical training to foster motivating teaching styles and minimize demotivating ones. The control group will follow the standard curriculum of the Master's in Physical Education Teacher Education program without exposure to the specific intervention.

Understanding Motivation in Parkinson's Patients Through Neurophysiology

The study aims to better understand motivation and value-based decision-making in Parkinson's patients through neurophysiology using Medtronic's Percept DBS device. By combining behavioral tasks with neural recordings, the study seeks to uncover how DBS affects motivation, particularly in relation to effort, reward, and timing.

Does educatıonal Escape Game Affect Students' motıvatıon, academıc Self-effıcacy and Success Levels: a quası-experımental Study

This is a semi-experimental study. The study aimed to examine the effects of an educational escape game on students' motivation, academic self-efficacy and achievement levels. Students studying in an elderly care program will be included in the study. Students will be divided into 2 groups according to their branches: experimental (educational escape game) and control (question-answer). H1. Students participating in the escape game will show significantly higher motivation in the "Motivation Scale for Teaching Materials" than students participating in the question-answer method. H2. Students participating in the escape game will show significantly higher self-efficacy in the "Academic Self-Efficacy Scale" than students participating in the question-answer method. H3. Students participating in the escape game will show significantly higher success in the "Achievement Test" than students participating in the question-answer method.

Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making

Exercise is routinely recommended because of its benefits for physical, cognitive, and mental health. It is especially beneficial for older adults due to its potential buffering effects against Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (Luck et al., 2014). However, little is known about how to best encourage older adults to exercise. Based on behavior change theory, different intrapersonal and interpersonal motivational factors are likely to be relevant during the contemplation, action, and maintenance stages of behavior change. Generally, as a result of motivational shifts toward prioritizing positivity and socially meaningful goals with advancing age (Carstensen, 2006), socioemotional aspects of decision making may become more salient and influential for older adults (Mikels et al., 2015; Peter et al., 2011). Our previous work has demonstrated that positive affect (Mikels et al., 2020) and social goals (Steltenpohl et al., 2019) play a critical role in older adults' motivation to exercise, but these two lines of research have not been integrated to date. Recent work indicates that positive affect is particularly beneficial for health when shared in social connections (Fredrickson, 2016; Major et al., 2018), and the proposed work will, for the first time, examine how shared interpersonal positivity may impact exercise decision making and behavior, especially during the contemplation and action/maintenance stages of behavior change. But who are the older adults that benefit the most from exercise in terms of physical, cognitive, and mental health (and should be hence be targeted with messages)? Not all older adults reap the benefits of exercise (Sparks, 2014) and, conversely, sedentary older adults have the most to gain. Overall, the current proposed research program is innovative in its (a) translational application of insights from affective, cognitive, and aging theory and research to understand the antecedents and outcomes of exercise decision making in younger and older adults, (b) conceptualization of both the social and emotional aspects of decision making, (c) development of novel methods for health messaging that incorporate social influences, and (d) novel assessments of the exercise-health link.

Investigation of Objective Cognitive Effort in Neuropsychological Evaluation of Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders are characterised by a heterogeneity of symptoms, including cognitive disorders, which predict functional outcome. To date, the evaluation of cognitive functions essentially measures performance. Cognitive effort and the influence of psychological factors are rarely considered. Based on the principle of energy conservation, the Motivational Intensity Theory (MIT) allows to test cognitive effort independently of performance, by measuring cardiovascular reactivity, as well as controlling for psychological factors (e.g., mood, fatigue, anxiety). The main aim of this study is to investigate in a memory task the interaction between cognitive effort, performance and psychological factors in individuals with psychotic disorders compared to a non-clinical group, based on the predictions of the MIT. This study will provide insights into the nature of cognitive impairment in psychotic disorders: primary or secondary to motivational (effort) or psychological (mood, fatigue, anxiety) difficulties.

FoodACT: Investigating the Impact of a School Garden Intervention on Children's Food Literacy, Climate Literacy, School Motivation and Physical Activity

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of a schoolgarden intervention on pupils food literacy, climate literacy, schoolmotivation and physical activity. The study will also investigate the contextual characteristics in the garden using systematic observations and the pupil´s experience of the intervention with focus-groups interviews.

Physical Literacy-based Intervention for Older Adults

The ageing population creates concerns and challenges worldwide. The large number of older adults (aged over 65) in Hong Kong continues to rise as people live longer. This may result in heavy burdens on public services and problems such as a shortage of medical resources. The purpose of this study is to implement a physical literacy-based intervention (PLBI) among older adults in Hong Kong in order to achieve the goal of health promotion. A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will be employed in this proposed study. Ten daycare centers for the elderly in Hong Kong will be invited to participate in this study. The intervention group will receive functional fitness training and mastering physical literacy class twice a week with buddy peer support, and they will be asked to keep a reflective writing journal on a daily basis for 12 weeks in total. Participants will be evaluated at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 12), and at 6-week follow-up (week 18). This will consist of objective and self-reported measures covering elements within physical literacy (i.e. physical competence, motivation and confidence, knowledge and understanding) and also physical activity levels on an individual basis. The study intends to introduce a conceptual framework of physical literacy for the elderly through an intervention that allows older people to develop daily behaviour habits, which should promote active ageing for the elderly and greater self-esteem in later life. After this study, participants may share their positive experiences, and encourage their peers in the community to become physically literate in the future. In the long run, due to the feasibility and sustainability of these potential programs, this proposed study has the potential to connect seniors through social engagement and contribute to healthy living.

Animal-assisted Trauma-focused Therapy for Children and Adolescents

The study aims to investigate how the inclusion of an animal into a trauma-focused group therapy program (TF-CBT) affects therapy motivation of children and adolescents suffering from post-traumatic stress. 80 children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years are recruited for the study. Participants must have experienced at least one traumatic event leading to post-traumatic stress symptoms. Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups: animal-assisted trauma-focused therapy (AA TF-CBT) or standard trauma-focused therapy (TF-CBT). Parallel to the groups the parents/guardians of the participating children and adolescents take part in three parent meetings. The results of the study help to gain insights into how the inclusion of animals in trauma-focused psychotherapy can contribute to children and adolescents attending therapy, being more motivated in therapy, and can successfully complete therapy.