Caregiver Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Caregivers of children with autism and stress
Brief summary
Parents/Caregivers of children with autism need psychological flexibility and self-efficacy for the ACT program to be effective. This study will compare intervention differences between groups. Repeated measures will be given three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up) to an ACT intervention group and a support group (control). The purpose of the present study is to compare the effects of a brief ACT-based workshop for parents of children with autism with a concurrent parent support control group using a variety of self-report measures addressing psychological flexibility, depression, thought suppression, cognitive fusion, positive aspects of caregiving, stress, self-compassion, and valued living.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
a four-week workshop based on the principles and procedures of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
BEHAVIORALCaregiver Support Group
Caregiver support group to run parallel to the ACT intervention group.
Sponsors
Fielding Graduate University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned to a treatment condition (parent support control group or ACT intervention group). The design of the study will be randomized, two-group mixed model design with 1) a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)intervention and 2) a parent support group.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Individuals will be eligible for entry if (1) they are the biological or adoptive parent (and primary caregiver) of a child with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, (2) the child is 2-17 years of age inclusive, (3) speak English, and (4) they plan to live in the area for at least six months and (5) present proof of vaccination and (6) agree to masking and social distancing during the in-person workshop.
Exclusion criteria
* Individuals will be excluded from the study if (1) they are involved in a concurrent clinical trial of psychosocial interventions for parents/caregivers or (2) they (or their child/spouse) indicate during telephone screening or on the demographics questionnaire active major medical issues such as cancer, organ transplant, or severe mental health disorders that prevent active participation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) | Baseline - prior to intervention particpation | 18-item self-administered measure that provides information on participants' overall psychological distress and Global Severity Index, as well as scales of somatization, depression, and anxiety |
| Perceived Stress Scale - 10 Items (PSS-10) | Baseline - prior to intervention particpation | 10-item questionnaire used to measure the degree to which life has been experienced as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded |
| Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) | Baseline - prior to intervention particpation | nine-item pencil-and-paper instrument that assesses caregivers' subjectively perceived gains from desirable aspects of or positive affective returns from providing care for their loved one |
| Parental Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) | Baseline - prior to intervention particpation | 36-item self-report instrument |
| Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF) | Baseline - prior to intervention particpation | 12-item self-report measure of self-compassion, such as self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed