The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been demonstrated as effective in improving psychological well-being in several clinical domains, but there is no evidence regarding the parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we e...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/880 |
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| author | Flavia Marino Chiara Failla Paola Chilà Roberta Minutoli Alfio Puglisi Antonino A. Arnao Loris Pignolo Giovambattista Presti Francesca Pergolizzi Paolo Moderato Gennaro Tartarisco Liliana Ruta David Vagni Antonio Cerasa Giovanni Pioggia |
| author_facet | Flavia Marino Chiara Failla Paola Chilà Roberta Minutoli Alfio Puglisi Antonino A. Arnao Loris Pignolo Giovambattista Presti Francesca Pergolizzi Paolo Moderato Gennaro Tartarisco Liliana Ruta David Vagni Antonio Cerasa Giovanni Pioggia |
| author_sort | Flavia Marino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been demonstrated as effective in improving psychological well-being in several clinical domains, but there is no evidence regarding the parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of the ACT matrix behavioral protocol in comparison to the Parent Training (PT) program, measuring several primary and secondary outcomes prior to and following treatments. Twelve parents were randomly and equally assigned to two demographically matched groups wherein individuals underwent 24 weekly meetings of ACT protocol (experimental group) or conventional PT (control group). Results: Parents enrolled in the ACT protocol demonstrated significant improvement in psychological flexibility, awareness states, personal values in everyday life, and parental stress, whereas reduced scores were elicited in parents’ perceptions of their child’s disruptive behaviors. Conclusions: The results of this randomized controlled trial, if repeated with a large number of subjects, could open the way to include ACT protocols in daily practice to support the development of new parenting skills. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:54:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f60d8aad5b1461ea73643fd4d432cb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:54:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f60d8aad5b1461ea73643fd4d432cb62023-11-22T02:26:26ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-06-0111788010.3390/brainsci11070880The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled TrialFlavia Marino0Chiara Failla1Paola Chilà2Roberta Minutoli3Alfio Puglisi4Antonino A. Arnao5Loris Pignolo6Giovambattista Presti7Francesca Pergolizzi8Paolo Moderato9Gennaro Tartarisco10Liliana Ruta11David Vagni12Antonio Cerasa13Giovanni Pioggia14Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyS’Anna Institute, Research in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (RAN), 88900 Crotone, ItalyClassical Linguistic Studies and Education Department, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, ItalyIESCUM, European Institute for the Study of Human Behaviour, 43100 Parma, ItalyDepartment of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Affairs, IULM University, 20143 Milan, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyClassical Linguistic Studies and Education Department, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, ItalyInstitute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, ItalyBackground: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been demonstrated as effective in improving psychological well-being in several clinical domains, but there is no evidence regarding the parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of the ACT matrix behavioral protocol in comparison to the Parent Training (PT) program, measuring several primary and secondary outcomes prior to and following treatments. Twelve parents were randomly and equally assigned to two demographically matched groups wherein individuals underwent 24 weekly meetings of ACT protocol (experimental group) or conventional PT (control group). Results: Parents enrolled in the ACT protocol demonstrated significant improvement in psychological flexibility, awareness states, personal values in everyday life, and parental stress, whereas reduced scores were elicited in parents’ perceptions of their child’s disruptive behaviors. Conclusions: The results of this randomized controlled trial, if repeated with a large number of subjects, could open the way to include ACT protocols in daily practice to support the development of new parenting skills.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/880autism spectrum disordersacceptance and commitment therapyparental trainingpsychological well-being |
| spellingShingle | Flavia Marino Chiara Failla Paola Chilà Roberta Minutoli Alfio Puglisi Antonino A. Arnao Loris Pignolo Giovambattista Presti Francesca Pergolizzi Paolo Moderato Gennaro Tartarisco Liliana Ruta David Vagni Antonio Cerasa Giovanni Pioggia The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial Brain Sciences autism spectrum disorders acceptance and commitment therapy parental training psychological well-being |
| title | The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_full | The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_short | The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| title_sort | effect of acceptance and commitment therapy for improving psychological well being in parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorders a randomized controlled trial |
| topic | autism spectrum disorders acceptance and commitment therapy parental training psychological well-being |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/7/880 |
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