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Article

The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

by
Flavia Marino
1,†,
Chiara Failla
1,2,†,
Paola Chilà
1,
Roberta Minutoli
1,
Alfio Puglisi
1,
Antonino A. Arnao
1,
Loris Pignolo
3,
Giovambattista Presti
2,
Francesca Pergolizzi
4,
Paolo Moderato
5,
Gennaro Tartarisco
1,
Liliana Ruta
1,
David Vagni
1,
Antonio Cerasa
2,6 and
Giovanni Pioggia
1,*
1
Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 98164 Messina, Italy
2
Classical Linguistic Studies and Education Department, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy
3
S’Anna Institute, Research in Advanced Neurorehabilitation (RAN), 88900 Crotone, Italy
4
IESCUM, European Institute for the Study of Human Behaviour, 43100 Parma, Italy
5
Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Affairs, IULM University, 20143 Milan, Italy
6
Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 87050 Mangone, Cosenza, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 880; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070880
Submission received: 14 April 2021 / Revised: 19 June 2021 / Accepted: 29 June 2021 / Published: 30 June 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Autism Research: Series II)
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Abstract

Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been demonstrated as effective in improving psychological well-being in several clinical domains, but there is no evidence regarding the parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of the ACT matrix behavioral protocol in comparison to the Parent Training (PT) program, measuring several primary and secondary outcomes prior to and following treatments. Twelve parents were randomly and equally assigned to two demographically matched groups wherein individuals underwent 24 weekly meetings of ACT protocol (experimental group) or conventional PT (control group). Results: Parents enrolled in the ACT protocol demonstrated significant improvement in psychological flexibility, awareness states, personal values in everyday life, and parental stress, whereas reduced scores were elicited in parents’ perceptions of their child’s disruptive behaviors. Conclusions: The results of this randomized controlled trial, if repeated with a large number of subjects, could open the way to include ACT protocols in daily practice to support the development of new parenting skills.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; acceptance and commitment therapy; parental training; psychological well-being autism spectrum disorders; acceptance and commitment therapy; parental training; psychological well-being

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MDPI and ACS Style

Marino, F.; Failla, C.; Chilà, P.; Minutoli, R.; Puglisi, A.; Arnao, A.A.; Pignolo, L.; Presti, G.; Pergolizzi, F.; Moderato, P.; et al. The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sci. 2021, 11, 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070880

AMA Style

Marino F, Failla C, Chilà P, Minutoli R, Puglisi A, Arnao AA, Pignolo L, Presti G, Pergolizzi F, Moderato P, et al. The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11(7):880. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070880

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marino, Flavia, Chiara Failla, Paola Chilà, Roberta Minutoli, Alfio Puglisi, Antonino A. Arnao, Loris Pignolo, Giovambattista Presti, Francesca Pergolizzi, Paolo Moderato, and et al. 2021. "The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial" Brain Sciences 11, no. 7: 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070880

APA Style

Marino, F., Failla, C., Chilà, P., Minutoli, R., Puglisi, A., Arnao, A. A., Pignolo, L., Presti, G., Pergolizzi, F., Moderato, P., Tartarisco, G., Ruta, L., Vagni, D., Cerasa, A., & Pioggia, G. (2021). The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Brain Sciences, 11(7), 880. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070880

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