Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMaughan, Andrea L
dc.contributor.authorLunsky, Yona
dc.contributor.authorLake, Johanna
dc.contributor.authorMills, Jennifer S
dc.contributor.authorFung, Kenneth
dc.contributor.authorSteel, Lee
dc.contributor.authorWeiss, Jonathan A
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-02T21:58:12Z
dc.date.available2024-10-02T21:58:12Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-11
dc.description.abstractEmerging research shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may improve mental health for caregivers. Parents of autistic children, adolescents, and adults (N = 54) were randomly assigned to either complete a brief group-based ACT intervention or remain on the waitlist. Participants completed surveys immediately prior to randomization, and 3-, 7-, and 17-weeks post-randomization. The primary outcome was depression symptoms and secondary outcomes included stress, goal attainment, positive affect, ACT psychological processes, child mental health, and family functioning. Mixed effects linear models testing Group × Time interaction indicated the Treatment group (n = 27) demonstrated greater post-intervention improvements than the Waitlist group (n = 27) in parent depression (p =.03, d = −0.64) and family distress (p =.04, d = −0.57). Treatment group parents also reported greater short-term gains in positive affect (p =<.001, d = 0.77) and personal goal attainment (p =.007, d = 0.80), compared to the Waitlist group. Although there was no significant Group × Time interaction for other outcomes, stress (b = −2.58, p =.01), defusion (b = −3.78, p =.001), and experiential avoidance (b = −4.22, p =.01) showed improvement for the Treatment group, but not the Waitlist group, at post-intervention. All Treatment group improvements were maintained at follow-up. Results suggest that a brief ACT group intervention is efficacious for improving some aspects of mental health for parents of autistic children. Lay abstract: Parents of autistic children commonly experience difficulties with their own mental health. This study looked at the effects of a brief group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program, developed for parents of autistic children, youth, and adults. ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility, which is the ability to be mindful and accepting of difficult thoughts and experiences, shown to be important for mental wellness. Participants included 54 parents of autistic people, ages 3–34. Parents were randomly divided into two groups: a Treatment group that received the intervention right away, and a Waitlist group that completed the program after the Treatment group completed the trial. All parents filled out questionnaires right before the program began, and at 3, 7, and 17 weeks after randomization. Compared to the group that was waiting to participate in the program, parents in the Treatment group reported greater improvements in depression and family distress, and these improvements were still present 4 months later. Parents in the Treatment group also reported short-term improvements in their positive feelings and personal goals, compared to those waiting. Results showed that ACT may help improve some aspects of mental health for parents of autistic children, but further research is recommended.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the York University Research Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disability Mental Health, and the Azrieli Centre at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Andrea Maughan was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Scholarship.
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronic
dc.identifier.issn1362-3613
dc.identifier.issn1461-7005
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231172241
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/42332
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSAGE Publications
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.publisherCC BY
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectClinical and Health Psychology
dc.subjectPsychology
dc.subjectClinical Research
dc.subjectBrain Disorders
dc.subjectPediatric
dc.subjectBehavioral and Social Science
dc.subjectMental Health
dc.subjectHealth Disparities
dc.subjectClinical Trials and Supportive Activities
dc.subjectIndividual care needs
dc.subjectMental health
dc.subjectGood Health and Well Being
dc.subjectAdolescent
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectChild
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
dc.subjectAutism Spectrum Disorder
dc.subjectAutistic Disorder
dc.subjectParents
dc.subjectSurveys and Questionnaires
dc.subjectChild, Preschool
dc.subjectYoung Adult
dc.subject.meshAdolescent
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshChild
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
dc.subject.meshAutism Spectrum Disorder
dc.subject.meshAutistic Disorder
dc.subject.meshParents
dc.subject.meshSurveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshYoung Adult
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshParents
dc.subject.meshAutistic Disorder
dc.subject.meshAdolescent
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshChild
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshYoung Adult
dc.subject.meshAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
dc.subject.meshSurveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.meshAutism Spectrum Disorder
dc.subject.meshAdolescent
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshChild
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshAcceptance and Commitment Therapy
dc.subject.meshAutism Spectrum Disorder
dc.subject.meshAutistic Disorder
dc.subject.meshParents
dc.subject.meshSurveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshYoung Adult
dc.symplectic.issue2
dc.symplectic.journalAutism
dc.symplectic.pagination367-380
dc.symplectic.subtypeJournal article
dc.symplectic.volume28
dc.titleParent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children A randomized.pdf
Size:
634.76 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Final published article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.83 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Department of Psychology

All items in the YorkSpace institutional repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved except where explicitly noted.