Feasibility and Acceptability of Craniosacral Therapy and Respiratory Training in Mothers of Children with...

Mothers of children with disabilities may experience substantial and prolonged psychophysical burden, which can negatively affect psychological well-being, health-related quality of life, and physical functioning. This study describes the protocol of a pilot and feasibility study evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of two distinct non-pharmacological interventions-craniosacral therapy (CST) and respiratory training (RT)-in mothers of children with disabilities.

This completed, retrospectively registered, three-arm, parallel-group, non-randomized controlled pilot and feasibility study enrolled 32 mothers, allocated by enrolment timing and project logistics to craniosacral therapy (CST; n = 12), respiratory training (RT; n = 10), or no-intervention control (CG; n = 10). The interventions lasted 8 weeks. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, consent, retention, attendance/adherence, outcome completeness, fidelity indicators, withdrawals, and reported adverse events; acceptability was assessed indirectly because no dedicated acceptability instrument was administered. Clinical outcomes were exploratory. Analyses estimated pre-post change and between-group differences, with confidence intervals reported where supported by the analyses. Recruitment occurred from May to December 2025, follow-up ended on 30 April 2026, and outcome data were analyzed before submission. Ethics approval preceded enrolment (2-XII/2024); registration was retrospective (ANZCTR ACTRN12626000148370; 5 February 2026).

This pilot and feasibility study provides a structured framework for evaluating CST and RT in mothers of children with disabilities. The study is intended to inform methodological procedures, outcome selection, and the design of a future adequately powered randomized controlled trial rather than establish the clinical effectiveness or safety of either intervention.