Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Parents of Children With Cancer: An RCT

To examine the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on reducing psychological distress and promoting quality of life (QoL) in parents of children with cancer.

A 2-arm paralleled randomized controlled trial was conducted with the intervention group receiving a 4-session weekly ACT-based intervention and the control group receiving the usual care. The primary outcomes were parental psychological distress and QoL. Secondary outcomes were parental experience of child's illness, experiential avoidance, psychological flexibility, and child's psychological adjustment to cancer. Data were collected at baseline (T0), after the intervention (T1), and 3 months after the intervention (T2).

A total of 142 children and their parents were recruited. Generalized estimating equation analyses showed that the intervention group reported significantly positive changes in parental psychological distress (β = -13.54, 95% CI: -20.04 to -7.03, P < .001 at T1; β = -11.86, 95% CI: -18.92 to -4.80, P = .001 at T2) and QoL (β = 8.61, 95% CI: 3.42 to 13.80, P = .001 at T1; β = 8.52, 95% CI: 2.79, 14.26, P = .004 at T2) compared with those in the control group. Parents who received ACT-based intervention also reported significantly less negative experience of child's illness, less experiential avoidance, and more psychological flexibility. Meanwhile, parents in the intervention group reported significantly greater reductions in the difficulties of psychological adjustment in their children.

The 4-session ACT-based intervention represents a promising approach for reducing psychological distress and improving QoL in the parents of children with cancer.