The purpose of this study is to determine if caregivers of children with a developmental delay experience a decrease in stress by participating in a meditation/cognitive training protocol.
A pilot-test, eight week, Cognitive Based Compassion Training (CBCT) program for caregivers of children with developmental delays that is comprised of eight two-hour weekly long sessions with a certified instructor followed by a twenty minute long meditation session. Sessions will focus on developing attention and stability of mind through focused attention training; cultivating insight into the nature of mental experience; cultivating self-compassion; developing equanimity; developing appreciation and gratitude; developing affection and empathy; realizing aspirational compassion; and realizing active compassion.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
29
Completed at Week 1. Initial meditation exercises will be described and practiced to train attention skills (on breath) and create mental stability.
Completed at Week 2. Exercises to develop mindfulness will continue in order to promote mental stability and clarity.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) Score
Designed to assess behavior problems in children with developmental difficulties and it consists of 58 items grouped in five subscales (irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behaviors, hyperactivity, and inappropriate behavior). The irritability subscale comprises of 15 statements that have been used as an index of Autism Spectrum Disorder-specific disability.
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Parenting Stress Index/Short Form (PSI/SF) Score
A 36-item measure designed to evaluate the magnitude of stress in caregiver-child relationships. All items have a 5-point response scale (roughly, Strongly Agree, Agree, Not Sure, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) and yield a Total Stress score from three scales: Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child.
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Score
An instrument to measure non-specific appraised stress which correlates with biological markers like cortisol, immune markers, and depression. It consists of 14 items rated on a 5 point scale (from never to very often) that refer to feelings and thoughts over the past month.
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) Score
A list of 10 statements rated from 1 (never true) to 7 (always true) measures psychological acceptance or assent to the reality of a situation (e.g., "it's okay if I remember something unpleasant").
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
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Completed at Week 3: Techniques to analyze mental processes are introduced.
Completed at Week 4. Further analysis of mental processes.
Completed at Week 5. A reflection of all the things that bring us well-being are provided by or dependent upon other beings is encouraged.
Completed at Week 6. The following concepts are presented and carefully considered: (1) cooperation and solidarity is essential for our survival and flourishing, as we are all extremely vulnerable and need each other; (2) hate and selfishness only cause suffering to others and ourselves and can only be prevented by cultivating sincere affection for others.
Completed at Week 7. Participants are invited to deepen their reflection on the reasons for gratitude, empathy, and affection for others, and see how they lead to feelings of compassion, or the wish for others to be free from suffering.
Completed at Week 8. The strategies used until this point will be reviewed in order to move from the wish for others to be free of suffering, toward the sense that we want to and must take steps to relieve their suffering.
20 minute session completed weekly after the Cognitive Training Session
Change in Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Score
A self-report questionnaire of 28 items answered on a 5-point scale ranging from "Does not describe me well" to "Describes me very well". It is considered a measure of empathy as a multidimensional construct that can be factored in four first-order factors, corresponding to the four subscales of the IRI: Perspective Taking, Fantasy (or tendency to transpose into the feelings and actions of fictitious characters in books and movies), Empathic Concern (interpersonal sympathy and concern), and Personal Distress (interpersonal distress).
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) Score
A questionnaire to measure attentiveness and mindfulness as a trait and it includes 15 items with answers on a 6-point scale (from "almost always" to "almost never").
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function- Adult Version (BRIEF-A) Score
A self-report assessment of executive function behaviors for adults aged 18-90. It contains 86 items in two validity scales and eight clinical scales that form two indexes: a) Behavioral Regulation (four scales: inhibit, shift, emotional control, and self-monitor) and b) Metacognition (five scales: initiate, working memory, plan/organize, organization of materials, and monitor), as well as a Global Executive Composite score.
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)
Change in Parenting Sense of Competence Scale Score
A 16 item questionnaire (on a 6 point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree), it includes a section on Satisfaction, with nine questions that examine the parents' anxiety, motivation and frustration, and an Efficacy scale, with 7 questions covering parents' sense of competence, capability levels, and problem-solving abilities in their parenting role.
Time frame: Baseline, Completion of Treatment (up to eight weeks), Follow-Up (up to three months post-participation)