Psychological intervention in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using a brief protocol based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Parenting children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) is associated with higher stress. The emotional coping of parents affects the psychological health of the whole family. 43 parents with children with NDDs and intellectual disabilities participated in two successive studies. A brief psychological intervention in group format based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was administered. The intervention protocol is described in detail so that it can be used by other therapists. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure parental psychological flexibility, parental stress, thought suppression, and general health status, as well as behavioral self-monitoring of interactions with children for the analysis of family dynamics. The intervention was followed by sustained decreases in both psychological inflexibility and private events suppression and increases in general health. Parental stress was reduced at follow-up. There was a sustained increase in supportive interactions and a decrease in punitive interactions. A significant relationship was found between the level of previous psychological inflexibility and the magnitude of clinical change. The study provides evidence that ACT is particularly useful in coping with stress for parents with higher psychological inflexibility.