Effects of an acceptance and commitment-based parenting program for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder on parenting stress and other parent and children health outcomes: A pilot randomized controlled trial, (2025). Ni, L. S., Wai Tong, C.,

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13623613241311323?casa_token=YmNevCnnU7kAAAAA%3Aog7NoKm6dHrErgxMSyudqRRDUqlqTwsAujcADV1ylGhuwPlF8jkyiAvg8vfK6MoCRjaDb1ESjYc2pQ

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based parenting program for parents of autistic children. A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with 40 parents randomly assigned to either the eight-session ACT-based parenting program or usual care. Feasibility was assessed by the rates of recruitment, attritions, and adherence to the intervention. Acceptability was evaluated through participant satisfaction surveys and semi-structured group interviews. Intervention feasibility was established with very satisfactory recruitment, attrition, and intervention completion rates. Both participant satisfaction survey and qualitative interviews suggested that the intervention was acceptable and beneficial for parents of autistic children. Compared to the usual-care-only group, participants in the ACT-based parenting program showed significant improvements in parental stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, psychological flexibility, self-efficacy, and reductions in emotional and behavioral problems in their children at the immediate post-intervention assessment. These findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the ACT-based parenting program for parents of autistic children. Future larger-scale RCTs can be conducted with longer-term follow-ups and more comprehensive assessment of its effectiveness for family caregivers of diverse groups of autistic children and/or other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Citation: Ni, L. S., Wai Tong, C., & Kam Ki Stanley, L. (2025). Effects of an acceptance and commitment-based parenting program for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder on parenting stress and other parent and children health outcomes: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Autism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241311323