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.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
60
a four-week workshop based on the principles and procedures of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Caregiver support group to run parallel to the ACT intervention group.
Fielding Graduate University
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18)
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
Time frame: Baseline - prior to intervention particpation
Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18)
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
Time frame: Post - within two weeks of intervention completion
Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18)
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
Time frame: Follow-up- completed within 1 month of intervention completion
Perceived Stress Scale - 10 Items (PSS-10)
10-item questionnaire used to measure the degree to which life has been experienced as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded
Time frame: Baseline - prior to intervention particpation
Perceived Stress Scale - 10 Items (PSS-10)
10-item questionnaire used to measure the degree to which life has been experienced as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded
Time frame: Post - within two weeks of intervention completion
Perceived Stress Scale - 10 Items (PSS-10)
10-item questionnaire used to measure the degree to which life has been experienced as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded
Time frame: Follow-up- completed within 1 month of intervention completion
Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC)
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
Time frame: Baseline - prior to intervention particpation
Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC)
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
Time frame: Post - within two weeks of intervention completion
Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC)
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
Time frame: Follow-up- completed within 1 month of intervention completion
Parental Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF)
36-item self-report instrument
Time frame: Baseline - prior to intervention particpation
Parental Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF)
36-item self-report instrument
Time frame: Post - within two weeks of intervention completion
Parental Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF)
36-item self-report instrument
Time frame: Follow-up- completed within 1 month of intervention completion
Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF)
12-item self-report measure of self-compassion, such as self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification
Time frame: Baseline - prior to intervention particpation
Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF)
12-item self-report measure of self-compassion, such as self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification
Time frame: Post - within two weeks of intervention completion
Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF)
12-item self-report measure of self-compassion, such as self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification
Time frame: Follow-up- completed within 1 month of intervention completion
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