"ACT" for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Stress
• Interventions: Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT02255786
• Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary

The investigators will develop and pilot test an intervention called "ACT for Parents" which aims to decrease stress and improve quality of life in parents of children \< 15 years who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. A small randomized trial testing phase will be conducted to gather initial data on the treatment feasibility and acceptability, detect treatment effects between groups (ACT for Parents versus Treatment as Usual), and to refine the treatment design for a future clinical trial.

Detailed Description

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an intervention that fosters acceptance of uncomfortable thoughts and emotions as a coping strategy, and encourages engagement in valued behavior in the presence of these emotions. ACT has been successfully applied to parents with similar mental health presentations. Using a randomized controlled study design, investigators seek to gather initial data on the treatment feasibility and acceptability, detect treatment effects in a cohort of parents who have a child (under the age of 15) with autism spectrum disorder.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2014-09-15
• Study Start: 2014-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-10-02
• Study First Posted: 2014-10-03
• Primary Completion: 2016-12
• Study Completion: 2016-12
• Status Verified: 2019-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-08-12
• Last Update Posted: 2019-08-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 16

Inclusion Criteria

• A parent with a child (under the age of 15) with a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS, Asperger's Disorder or Autistic Disorder
• Child with ASD diagnosed by a mental health or medical professional
• Must be comfortable speaking and reading and understanding English

Exclusion Criteria

• Inability to attend sessions in person on the specified date/time/location of the intervention sessions
• unwillingness to be audio-taped should randomization into the experimental (ACT) group occur.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
ACT Parent Group	Acceptance and Commitment Therapy	Participants will complete a total of five Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - Parent Group Sessions First four are held weekly, last session held one month from 4th session.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II Score	From Basline to Month 2 (post-intervention) and from Month 2 to Month 3 (maintenance)	The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II, Bond et al., 2011) is a 10-item Likert scale that measures experiential acceptance (i.e., tendency to accept, rather than avoid, uncomfortable internal experiences) in adult samples.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Lurie Center | Massachusetts General Hospital; 🇺🇸 Lexington, Massachusetts, United States