UMIN-CTR Clinical Trial
| Unique ID issued by UMIN | UMIN000061634 |
|---|---|
| Receipt number | R000070510 |
| Scientific Title | Effect of future specificity training on involuntary future thinking: A randomized controlled trial |
| Date of disclosure of the study information | 2026/05/31 |
| Last modified on | 2026/05/19 13:12:27 |
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Basic information
Public title
Examining the effectiveness of future specificity training in Japan
Acronym
FeST
Scientific Title
Effect of future specificity training on involuntary future thinking: A randomized controlled trial
Scientific Title:Acronym
FeST
Region
| Japan |
Condition
Condition
Depression
Classification by specialty
| Psychiatry | Adult |
Classification by malignancy
Others
Genomic information
NO
Objectives
Narrative objectives1
The present study aims to examine the effects of an intervention designed to enhance the specificity and detail of future thinking, namely Future Specificity Training (FeST), on involuntary future thinking (i.e., future events that come to mind automatically and unintentionally). Involuntary future thinking has traditionally been regarded as an adaptive cognitive process that occurs frequently in daily life and contributes to goal pursuit and self-motivation. However, in psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders, involuntary future thoughts are more likely to be negatively-valenced and unrelated to personal goals, potentially contributing to rumination, avoidance behavior, and procrastination.
The FeST has been shown in randomized controlled trials to reduce depressive symptoms after only two sessions (Hallford et al., 2023), and has therefore attracted attention as a promising intervention for depression. Previous studies have demonstrated that FeST increases the detail, controllability, and perceived likelihood of voluntarily generated future thoughts (i.e., intentionally imagined future events), which in turn mediates improvements in anhedonia symptoms. However, these mediational mechanisms have only been examined in relation to voluntary future thinking, and it remains unclear whether involuntary future thinking is also involved.
The present study will bridge the gap between dysfunctions in involuntary future thinking and depression, and examine whether FeST can modify involuntary future thinking and improve depressive symptoms through such changes. This study represents the first implementation of FeST in Japan. Therefore, we will also test whether the effects reported in previous studies conducted in Australia can be replicated in a Japanese population.
Basic objectives2
Efficacy
Basic objectives -Others
Trial characteristics_1
Confirmatory
Trial characteristics_2
Explanatory
Developmental phase
Phase III
Assessment
Primary outcomes
- Vigilance Task
The Vigilance Task (Schlagman & Kvavilashvili, 2008) will be administered to assess the frequency, content, and characteristics of involuntary future thinking. In this task, participants perform a monotonous activity in which they judge whether lines presented sequentially on a screen are oriented vertically or horizontally. Participants are instructed to stop the task and report the content of any future thought that spontaneously comes to mind during the task.
- Future Thinking Diary
Participants will complete web-based diary entries during daily life whenever they experience involuntary future thoughts.
- Depressive Symptoms
Depressive symptoms will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995).
Key secondary outcomes
Future Thinking Task (FTT)
The Future Thinking Task (FTT) will be used to assess the frequency, content, and characteristics of voluntary future thinking. Participants will be presented sequentially with cue words (e.g., "interesting", "park") and asked to report a specific future event associated with each cue.
Contrast Avoidance
Contrast avoidance will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire CAQ (Contrast Avoidance Questionnaire; Llera and Newman, 2017), which measures the tendency to maintain a negative emotional state in order to avoid sudden increases in negative emotion in response to future events.
Dampening
Dampening will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire LEDS (Leuven Exeter Dampening Scale; Bogaert et al., 2025), which measures a cognitive style characterized by the attenuation or undermining of positive emotions.
Impulsivity
Impulsivity will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire UPPS-P (Cyders et al., 2014), which measures five psychological dimensions of impulsivity: positive urgency, negative urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, and sensation seeking.
ADHD traits
ADHD tendencies will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire ASRS.
Delay Discounting Task
The delay discounting task is a decision-making task in which participants choose between immediate and delayed rewards.
Iowa Gambling Task
The Iowa Gambling Task is a decision-making task in which participants repeatedly select cards from one of four decks and receive either reward points or loss points as outcomes.
Procrastination
The tendency to procrastinate will be assessed using the self-report questionnaire GPS (General Procrastination Scale).
Base
Study type
Interventional
Study design
Basic design
Parallel
Randomization
Randomized
Randomization unit
Individual
Blinding
Double blind -all involved are blinded
Control
Placebo
Stratification
Dynamic allocation
Institution consideration
Blocking
Concealment
Intervention
No. of arms
2
Purpose of intervention
Educational,Counseling,Training
Type of intervention
| Behavior,custom |
Interventions/Control_1
FeST is a group-based training program designed to enhance the specificity and detail of future thinking. The intervention includes psychoeducation about future thinking, exercises for generating detailed and specific future events (positive and neutral), exercises for experiencing emotions associated with future events as well as positive emotions experienced in the present while imagining those events, and the facilitation of insight through group discussion. The program consists of two sessions conducted at one-week intervals. Following each session, participants complete homework assignments consisting of approximately five minutes practicing the generation of future thoughts associated with cue words (e.g., "happy") and practicing the generation of positive or neutral future thoughts that could occur on the following day per day.
Interventions/Control_2
Participants in the control group will be asked during the sessions to recall memories from the previous week. As homework, they will be asked to reflect on and recall their experiences of remembering those memories during the session.
Interventions/Control_3
Interventions/Control_4
Interventions/Control_5
Interventions/Control_6
Interventions/Control_7
Interventions/Control_8
Interventions/Control_9
Interventions/Control_10
Eligibility
Age-lower limit
| 18 | years-old | <= |
Age-upper limit
| 50 | years-old | > |
Gender
Male and Female
Key inclusion criteria
1. Experiencing depressive mood symptoms
2. Native Japanese speaker
3. Aged between 18 and 50 years
Key exclusion criteria
1. Diagnosis of schizophrenia (or having psychotic symptoms)
2. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
3. Presence of organic brain disorders
Target sample size
120
Research contact person
Name of lead principal investigator
| 1st name | Noboru |
| Middle name | |
| Last name | Matsumoto |
Organization
Shinshu University
Division name
Faculty or Arts
Zip code
390-8621
Address
3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
TEL
0263372263
noborum@shinshu-u.ac.jp
Public contact
Name of contact person
| 1st name | Noboru |
| Middle name | |
| Last name | Matsumoto |
Organization
Shinshu University
Division name
Faculty or Arts
Zip code
390-8621
Address
3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
TEL
0263372263
Homepage URL
noborum@shinshu-u.ac.jp
Sponsor or person
Institute
Shinshu University
Institute
Department
Personal name
Funding Source
Organization
JSPS bilateral joint research projects
Organization
Division
Category of Funding Organization
Japanese Governmental office
Nationality of Funding Organization
Other related organizations
Co-sponsor
Name of secondary funder(s)
IRB Contact (For public release)
Organization
Ethics Committee, Shinshu University
Address
3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Tel
0263-37-2092
ken-sui@shinshu-u.ac.jp
Secondary IDs
Secondary IDs
NO
Study ID_1
Org. issuing International ID_1
Study ID_2
Org. issuing International ID_2
IND to MHLW
Institutions
Institutions
Other administrative information
Date of disclosure of the study information
| 2026 | Year | 05 | Month | 31 | Day |
Related information
URL releasing protocol
Publication of results
Unpublished
Result
URL related to results and publications
Number of participants that the trial has enrolled
Results
Results date posted
Results Delayed
Results Delay Reason
Date of the first journal publication of results
Baseline Characteristics
Participant flow
Adverse events
Outcome measures
Plan to share IPD
IPD sharing Plan description
Progress
Recruitment status
Preinitiation
Date of protocol fixation
| 2026 | Year | 04 | Month | 30 | Day |
Date of IRB
| 2026 | Year | 04 | Month | 30 | Day |
Anticipated trial start date
| 2026 | Year | 07 | Month | 03 | Day |
Last follow-up date
| 2028 | Year | 03 | Month | 31 | Day |
Date of closure to data entry
Date trial data considered complete
Date analysis concluded
Other
Other related information
Management information
Registered date
| 2026 | Year | 05 | Month | 19 | Day |
Last modified on
| 2026 | Year | 05 | Month | 19 | Day |
Link to view the page
Value
https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000070510
