Acceptance and Commitment Training Focused on Psychological Flexibility for Family Members of Children with Intellectual Disabilities

David Lobato (), Francisco Montesinos, Eduardo Polín and Saray Cáliz
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David Lobato: Department of Psychology, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Francisco Montesinos: Department of Psychology, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Eduardo Polín: Department of Psychology, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Saray Cáliz: Department of Psychology, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The objective of the study was to analyse the effect of a psychological flexibility intervention programme based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on 36 family members of children with intellectual disabilities. The 6-PAQ (parental psychological flexibility), PSS-14 (perceived stress), GHQ-12 (psychological health), and WBSI (suppression of unwanted thoughts) were used as measurement instruments before the programme (pre), after (post), and at follow-up (after two months). Possible change in family interactions due to the family intervention was also assessed through self-monitoring. A decrease in psychological inflexibility, a reduction in stress, an improvement in psychological well-being, and a reduction in the tendency to suppress thoughts and emotions were observed after the programme. Furthermore, the effects seem to extend to family interactions, with an increase in positive interactions and a decrease in negative ones. The study leads us to think about the importance of psychological flexibility in children with chronic conditions as a process that mediates the impact of stress and family well-being.

Keywords: parenting; psychological flexibility; disability; contextual therapies; acceptance and commitment therapy; ACT; parental stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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