ACT-Based Training for Parental Burnout and Child Well-being
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age3-65
SponsorChinese University of Hong Kong
About this trial
The purpose of the proposed randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing parental burnout and improving children's emotional and behavioral adjustment in families in Hong Kong over 3 months after the intervention. The findings will provide valuable and scientific insights to inform better parenting interventions and child protection policies.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents between the ages of 19 and 65 years.
Primary caregivers of a child aged 3 to 11 years.
Have been identified by school social workers as being at risk of domestic violence or experiencing emotional distress.
Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents between the ages of 3 and 11 years.
Disqualifiers
Parents diagnosed with severe mental illnesses.
Parents with a developmental disability that interferes with their ability to comprehend the program's content.
Parents with cognitive, language, communication, visual, or hearing impairments or disorders that could impede their understanding of the intervention content; or
Parents currently participate in other psychosocial, psychoeducational, or parenting interventions.
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
ACT Intervention Group
BehavioralFor Parent ACT Group, parents will participate in a six-week, group-based ACT program integrated with behavioral parenting training based on positive parenting principles. Each session lasts two hours and includes 65 minutes of ACT-based activities (e.g., experiential exercises, guided imagery, mindfulness, values clarification, metaphors) and 25 minutes of parenting education and/or behavioral skills training. For Children ACT Group, children (aged 6-11) will also receive a child-focused ACT intervention to help them manage emotional challenges. Each session lasts two hours and includes 65 minutes of ACT-based activities (e.g., experiential exercises, guided imagery, mindfulness, values clarification, metaphors) and 25 minutes of behavioral skills training.
control group
Other interventionParticipants allocated to the Control Group will not receive the ACT intervention but will continue to receive the standard services originally provided by Harmony House. These services constitute usual care and include initial assessments, individual counselling, group counselling, the provision of community resource information, and referrals. Control group participants will receive these supports as usual. This study will not alter their existing service arrangements in any way, nor will it add to or reduce the support they receive. Aside from not participating in the ACT program, the control group's experience will be identical to that of clients receiving regular services. After the intervention group completes the program, the control group will be offered the same course content (i.e., a waitlist intervention arrangement).
Treatment groups
120 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: ACT Intervention GroupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Control GroupOther 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Parental Burnout
The Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA, 23-item, 7-point Likert scale) will be employed to evaluate the level of parental burnout. The Chinese version of PBA has reported good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = \>.8), adequate construct validity (.66\~.79), and strong convergent validity in Chinese parents.
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-intervention2
Children's emotional and behavioral adjustment
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ, 25-item, 3-point Likert scale) will be used to assess children's emotional and behavioral adjustment. The Chinese version of SDQ demonstrates satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .45-.90) and good test-retest reliability (coefficients = 0.8 to 0.85).
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-interventionSecondary outcomes
1
Parental Psychological flexibility
Parental Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PPFQ, 16-item, 7-point Likert scale) will be employed to measure parents' psychological flexibility. The PPFQ measures psychological flexibility using three subscales: cognitive defusion, committed action, and acceptance. The total and each subscale scores of the Chinese version of PPFQ have demonstrated substantial discriminant and criterion validity and internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .77-.86), and test-retest reliability coefficients ranging from 0.55 to 0.75.
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-intervention2
Children's psychological flexibility
Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM, 10-item, 5-point Likert scale) will be used to assess children's psychological flexibility through children's self-reports. Grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), it measures present-moment awareness and non-judgmental acceptance of thoughts and feelings. The Chinese version of CAMM demonstrates good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .826) and strong construct validity and acceptable criterion-related validity among Chinese primary school students.
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-intervention3
Adaptive parenting behaviors
Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P, 31-item, 5-point Likert scale), a parent self-report measure, will be employed to measure adaptive parenting behaviors. The IM-P assesses five dimensions: Listening with Full Attention, Emotional Awareness of Self and Child, Self-Regulation in Parenting, Non-Judgmental Acceptance of Self and Child, and Compassion for Self and Child. The Chinese version of the IM-P was found to have adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85) and has been demonstrated to be a valid measure among Chinese populations.
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-intervention4
Parent-Child Relationship Quality
Child-Parent Relationship Scale-Short Form (CPRS-SF, 15-item, 5-point Likert scale), a parent self-report measure, will be used to assess the quality of the parent- child relationship. The Chinese version of CPRS-SF assesses child-parent relationships across two subscales: conflict and closeness. The internal consistency of the subscales is typically reported as being in the range of 0.70 to 0.90, indicating good reliability.
Time frame
Change from baseline assessment to immediate and 3 months post-interventionSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lead sponsor
Harmony House
Collaborator
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov