Taking ACTion: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Stress
- Sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Enrollment
- 16
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II Score
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 6 years ago
Overview
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.
Investigators
Lisa A. Nowinski, PhD
Director, Neuropsychology Training
Massachusetts General Hospital
Eligibility Criteria
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.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II Score
Time Frame: 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.