A trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for caregivers

Parent, child and family outcomes following Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for parents of individuals with autism: a randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN97093664

Enrollment

Registered

2019-01-15

Start date

2019-01-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-07-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Parents of children with autism Mental and Behavioural Disorders Childhood autism

Interventions

Random assignment will occur after baseline assessment is complete. Once participants are deemed eligible for the study (following telephone screening) they are randomized to treatment immediately or

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Child diagnosis of autism 2. Proficiency in English 3. Ability to identify therapy goals

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Participants cannot have participated in any previous Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Psychological distress, measured using the Depression and Stress subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS14). All measures will be administered at baseline, after which parents will be randomized to treatment and waitlist groups. All measures will be re-administered 6 weeks and 18 weeks post-randomization. Parents will be additionally asked to complete a subset of the survey measures, including the DASS14, at 2 weeks post-randomization.	—

Measure

Time frame

Psychological distress, measured using the Depression and Stress subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS14). All measures will be administered at baseline, after which parents will be randomized to treatment and waitlist groups. All measures will be re-administered 6 weeks and 18 weeks post-randomization. Parents will be additionally asked to complete a subset of the survey measures, including the DASS14, at 2 weeks post-randomization.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Health and isolation, measured using the Isolation and Health subscales from the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4) 2. Psychological acceptance, measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) 3. Cognitive fusion, measured using the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) 4. Consistency of actions toward values, measured using the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) 5. Mindfulness behaviours, measured using the Bangor Mindful Parenting Scale (BMPS) 6. Movement toward personal goals, measured using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) 7. Positive affect, measured using the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) 8. Family current level of crisis, measured using the Brief Family Distress Scale (BFDS) 9. Family functioning, measured using the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) 10. Parent-reported child mental health difficulties, measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 11. Participant experiences with group facilitators, measured using a feedback form All measures will be administered at baseline, after which parents will be randomized to treatment and waitlist groups. All measures will be re-administered at 6 weeks and 18 weeks post-randomization. Parents will be additionally asked to complete a subset of the survey measures (DASS14, PANAS, BFDS, GAS) at 2 weeks post-randomization.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Health and isolation, measured using the Isolation and Health subscales from the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4) 2. Psychological acceptance, measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) 3. Cognitive fusion, measured using the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) 4. Consistency of actions toward values, measured using the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) 5. Mindfulness behaviours, measured using the Bangor Mindful Parenting Scale (BMPS) 6. Movement toward personal goals, measured using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) 7. Positive affect, measured using the positive subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) 8. Family current level of crisis, measured using the Brief Family Distress Scale (BFDS) 9. Family functioning, measured using the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) 10. Parent-reported child mental health difficulties, measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 11. Participant experiences with group facilitators, measured using a feedback form All measures will be administered at baseline, after which parents will be randomized to treatment and waitlist groups. All measures will be re-administered at 6 weeks and 18 weeks post-randomization. Parents will be additionally asked to complete a subset of the survey measures (DASS14, PANAS, BFDS, GAS) at 2 weeks post-randomization.

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Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026