Early Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 'Early PACT' for parents of infants with cerebral palsy: a study
Koa Whittingham1, Jeanie Sheffield2, Catherine Mak3
1Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, UQ Child Health Research Centre (CHRC), Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia koawhittingham@uq.edu.au.
Insights
This study investigates an online parent support program, Early Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Early PACT), for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP). Early PACT aims to improve parent-infant relationships and parental well-being.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- New guidelines enable earlier identification of infants at high risk for cerebral palsy (CP) between 12-24 weeks corrected age.
- Early detection of CP risk presents an opportunity for timely intervention.
- The parent-infant relationship is crucial for child development and can be enhanced through targeted support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Early Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Early PACT) online program.
- To assess the impact of Early PACT on the parent-infant relationship, parental mental health, and infant outcomes.
- To provide a structured support system for parents of infants identified as high-risk for CP.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 60 parents of infants (0-2 years corrected age) at high risk of CP.
- Participants are allocated to either the Early PACT online program or a waitlist control group.
- The primary outcome is the quality of parent-child interactions, measured by the Emotional Availability Scale, with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- The study protocol is presented, outlining the methodology for the randomized controlled trial.
- Anticipated outcomes include improvements in parent-infant interactions, parental mental health, and infant well-being.
- The trial is designed to provide robust data on the efficacy of the Early PACT intervention.
Conclusions:
- The Early PACT program offers a novel, accessible online intervention for parents of infants at high risk of CP.
- This trial will provide critical evidence on the benefits of early, technology-delivered parent support.
- Findings are expected to inform clinical practice and support strategies for families navigating early CP diagnosis.
Introduction:
New international clinical practice guidelines exist for identifying infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) earlier: between 12 to 24 weeks corrected age, significantly earlier than previous diagnosis windows in Australia at 19 months. The earlier detection of infants at high risk of CP creates an opportunity for earlier intervention. The quality of the parent-infant relationship impacts various child outcomes, and is leveraged in other forms of intervention. This paper presents the protocol of a randomised controlled trial of an online parent support programme, Early Parenting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Early PACT) for families of infants identified as at high risk of CP. We predict that participating in the Early PACT programme will be associated with improvements in the parent-infant relationship, in parent mental health and well-being as well as infant behaviour and quality of life.
Methods And Analysis:
This study aims to recruit 60 parents of infants (0 to 2 years old corrected age) diagnosed with CP or identified as at high risk of having CP. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: Early PACT or waitlist control (1:1). Early PACT is an online parent support programme grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It is delivered as a course on an open source course management system called edX. Early PACT is designed to support parental adjustment and parent-infant relationship around the time of early diagnosis. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, following completion of Early PACT and at 6-month follow-up (retention). The primary outcome will be the quality of parent-child interactions as measured by the Emotional Availability Scale. Standard analysis methods for randomised controlled trial will be used to make comparisons between the two groups (Early PACT and waitlist control). Retention of effects will be examined at 6-month follow-up.
Ethics And Dissemination:
This study is approved through appropriate Australian and New Zealand ethics committees (see in text) with parents providing written informed consent. Findings from this trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications and conference presentations.
Trial Registration Details:
This trial has been prospectively registered on 12 June 2018 to present (ongoing) with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12618000986279); https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=3 74 896.
More Related Videos
08:42A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research
Published on: July 31, 2017
11:50Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
