Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39735752›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2024

Effects of a flexibly delivered group-based acceptance and commitment therapy on reducing stress and enhancing psychological wellbeing in parents of school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quasi-experimental study.

Yim-Wah Mak, Doris Y P Leung, Xuelin Zhang, Joyce O K Chung, Petsy S Y Chow, Jiayin Ruan, Jerry W F Yeung

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Article in Frontiers in public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yim-Wah MakSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Doris Y P LeungSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Xuelin ZhangSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Joyce O K ChungSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Petsy S Y ChowMental Health and Development, Christian Family Service Centre, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Jiayin RuanSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Jerry W F YeungSchool of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has increased parental stress and significantly impacted the psychological well-being of individuals, especially parents of school-age children. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy posits that individuals can accept their unchangeable inner experiences (thoughts and feelings) while acting in ways aligned with their personal values, demonstrating effectiveness in reducing stress and improving psychological well-being, especially among parents of children with chronic illness. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a group-based ACT, delivered flexibly, in improving stress and psychological well-being in parents with school-age children, regardless of their children's chronic conditions, within a real-world context. Methods: This quasi-experimental study recruited parents with school-age children, through convenience sampling from the Christian Family Service Centre in Hong Kong. The group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention consisted of five weekly sessions delivered via face-to-face meetings and online videoconferencing, consistent with participants' preferences and COVID-19 related restrictions in Hong Kong. Paired t-tests and Generalized Estimating Equations following the intention-to-treat principle were used to examine the overall effects and the moderating effects of delivery methods. Results: The study included 250 parents, with an average age of 40.90 years, mostly women. The average age of their youngest child was 7.68 years. In line with COVID-19-related restrictions and participants' preferences, 109 parents participated in online sessions, while 141 attended face-to-face sessions. Results showed significant small-to-medium improvements in various outcome variables after the intervention, including parental stress (Cohen's Conclusion: The findings highlight the potential of group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to alleviate stress and improve psychological well-being in parents of school-age children, regardless of the delivery method, especially during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to limitations in the study design, caution is warranted when interpreting the overall effects of group-based ACT on parent outcomes and the moderating role of delivery methods. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the nuances of delivery methods in similar real-world situations.

Indexed as

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyCOVID-19ParentsStress, PsychologicalAdultChildFemaleHong KongHumansMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedPandemicsPsychotherapy, GroupSARS-CoV-2acceptance and commitment therapyCOVID-19parental stresspsychological distressreal-world settingswellbeing

Identifiers

PMID39735752
PMCPMC11672343

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.