Group Intervention in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) for Parents of Handicapped Children

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of autism spectrum condition and the difficulties that are connected with it, there is a dearth of treatments that have been well researched and validated, and which are capable of effectively alleviating the significant suffering that is experienced by parents. Using a sample size of twenty-five parents who had children with disabilities, the purpose of this research was to determine whether or not it would be possible to implement a unique group intervention that would make use of manualized Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In order to evaluate the preliminary findings, self-assessment questionnaires were distributed at the beginning of the intervention, after it had been completed, and all throughout the follow-up period. When determining whether or not the technique was feasible, factors such as treatment completion, credibility, and satisfaction were taken into consideration. Taking into consideration the findings, it would appear that this technique has the potential to be successfully adopted as a component of outpatient rehabilitation services in Multan and Bahawalpur. The initial findings from the outcome measures indicate that there has been a significant improvement in the health of the parents: acceptance level (ηp2 = 0.15), depression (ηp2 = 0.21), anxiety (ηp2 = .19) and own parenting failure (ηp2 =0.12). According to the findings, it is absolutely necessary to carry out a randomized controlled trial in order to assess the level of practicability associated with the treatment