Psychological Distress, Spinal Cord Injuries
Conditions
Keywords
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Quality of life, Spinal cord injury, Psychological distress, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Mindfulness, Self-compassion
Brief summary
The purpose of this preliminary study is to examine the effects of a guided online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention combined with psychoeducation on people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who experience psychological distress.
Detailed description
This project will employ a one-group pretest-posttest design to investigate the effects of a guided online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention combined with psychoeducation on quality of life and mental health of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who experience psychological distress. After the pretest evaluation, eligible participants will receive 8 weekly sessions, including 6 ACT sessions and 2 psychoeducation sessions, delivered by trained coaches through Zoom videoconferencing. Each session lasts for one hour. Primary outcome measures will be psychological distress measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)- 21 and Spinal Cord Injury - Quality of Life (SCI-QOL). A one-time interview at the completion of the 8 sessions will be conducted to explore participants' experiences in the sessions.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALacceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) combined with psychoeducation
Participants receive 8 weekly sessions, including 6 ACT sessions and 2 psychoeducation sessions, delivered by trained coaches through Zoom videoconferencing.
Sponsors
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* community-dwelling adults (age 18 or over) living in the community who had a spinal cord injury * suffering at least mild symptoms of psychological distress measured by the DASS-21 * having a computer/smartphone with internet access capable of doing web browsing and video-conferencing * being able to provide informed consent by understanding the nature of study participation.
Exclusion criteria
* having cognitive, physical, or sensory deficits, or language barriers (non- English communicator) that impede study participation * receiving a psychological therapy currently * having psychiatric hospitalizations or diagnoses of mental illness in the previous 2 years * taking antipsychotic or anticonvulsant medication at the time of recruitment * having the possibility of study dropouts due to other medical conditions
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) - 21 | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)- 21 is a 21-item self report instrument designed to measure the three related negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. Higher scores represent greater symptomatology. |
| World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (WHOQOL-BREF) - psychological health component | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | WHOQOL-BREF - psychological health component has 6 items measuring: bodily image and appearance; negative feelings; positive feelings; self-esteem; spirituality / personal beliefs; and thinking, learning, memory and concentration. Higher scores denote higher quality of life in terms of psychological health. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Action and Acceptance Questionnaire (AAQ)-II | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | The Action and Acceptance Questionnaire (AAQ)-II is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring psychological flexibility. Higher scores indicate poor psychological flexibility. |
| Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ)-7 | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ)-7 is a 7-item self-report questionnaire measuring cognitive fusion. Higher scores indicate greater levels of cognitive fusion. |
| Self-Compassion Scale- Short Form (SCS-SF) | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | Self-Compassion Scale- Short Form (SCS-SF) has 12 items assessing the relation of self-compassion to positive psychological health. Higher scores indicate higher levels of self-compassion. |
| Spinal Cord Injury - Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Resilience Short form | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | SCI-QOL Resilience Short form has 8 items assessing resilience. Higher scores indicate more resilience. |
| Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | The MAAS is a 15-item scale assessing dispositional mindfulness (i.e., open or receptive awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present). Higher scores reflect higher levels of dispositional mindfulness. |
| Spinal Cord Injury - Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) Grief and Loss Short form | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | SCI-QOL Grief and Loss Short form has 9 items assessing grief and loss due to spinal cord injuries. Higher scores indicate more grief/loss. |
| Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS) | Change from baseline to 8 weeks | The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS) is a 12-item self-assessment instrument that measures a person's subjective experience of the meaningfulness of everyday activities. Higher scores indicate greater levels of engagement in meaningful activities. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed