Feasibility and acceptability of an online acceptance and commitment therapy group for parents caring for a child with cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT

This study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a videoconferencing group psychotherapy intervention for parents of children living with cerebral palsy. A six-session Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention called Take a Breath was provided. Participants were 26 parents of children aged 12 months to nine years, with severe cerebral palsy. Parents responded to questionnaires at three time-points; baseline, pre-intervention, and post-intervention. Qualitative responses were recorded in response to a structured item asking about benefits of participating in the intervention. Of those enrolled, 90% of parents attended the minimum required sessions and 35% attended all six sessions. Quantitative results revealed significant reductions in guilt and worry, and increased mindfulness, which echoed parents’ qualitative responses. The pilot findings suggest the Take a Breath intervention is a feasible and acceptable approach to providing mental health services to parents who face significant daily challenges and barriers to engaging support. Larger scale studies are warranted.

KEYWORDS:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• online group intervention
• parents
• cerebral palsy
• psychological

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the important contribution of the families who gave their precious time to participate.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funding was provided by the Scobie & Claire Mackinnon Trust funding with top-up funding from the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and support of the Victorian Government’s Operational Infrastructure Support Program.