This application addresses the Broad Challenge area of Comparative Effectiveness Research (05), 05-AT-102* Comparative Effectiveness Studies of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. This application is entitled: Conventional vs Mindfulness Intervention in Parents of Children with Disabilities. A full 1 in 5 children in the US has a developmental disability, and the prevalence rate for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is especially high (1 in 150 children). As many as 20% of US families are raising children with developmental disabilities, and these parents experience more stress than parents of typically- developing children, as well as more depression, anxiety, and health and mental health problems. Negative outcomes are complicated by increased economic hardships faced by families of children with disabilities. Although parental stress is elevated in many types of disabilities, parents of children with ASD are especially prone to negative psychological and economic outcomes. This application compares the effectiveness of a conventional Parent Group intervention to a modified Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program in parents of children with ASD and other disabilities. Parent groups are widely-used to provide information, support, and advocacy. MBSR is efficacious for people with medical, psychiatric or other concerns, and teaches stress reduction through mindfulness training and practice. In contrast to conventional parent groups, our studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may be particularly effective in reducing stress and improving the health and mental health of parents of children with disabilities. We will randomly assign 400 parents of children with ASD or other disabilities to 6 weeks of a Parent Group versus a modified MBSR program group, and collect data on parental health, positive and negative psychological states, and biomarker indices of stress. Data from pre, mid, and 4 post intervention time points will be used in hierarchical linear modeling, and analyses will also assess if intervention effects differ across mothers, fathers, minority parents, or child diagnoses. Unemployed parents of children with disabilities will be hired as research assistants and trained to conduct either the Parent Group or modified MBSR program interventions. Peer-mentors are effective providers of advocacy and support. Hiring unemployed parents of children with disabilities meets the immediate ARRA mandate and demonstrates the feasibility of hiring parents in future large-scale public health efforts aimed at reducing stress and improving healthy outcomes in the 20% of US families who are raising children with disabilities.
A full 1 in 5 children has a developmental disability, and parents of children with disabilities have significantly high rates of stress, and health and mental health problems than parents of typically- developing children. This study tests the effectiveness of two different interventions, both aimed at reducing stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders or other disabilities (a Parent Group model versus a modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program). This study will shed new light on how to best reduce stress and increase health and well-being in up to 20% of US families who are raising children with developmental disabilities.
| Dykens, Elisabeth M (2015) Family adjustment and interventions in neurodevelopmental disorders. Curr Opin Psychiatry 28:121-6 |
| Dykens, Elisabeth M; Fisher, Marisa H; Taylor, Julie Lounds et al. (2014) Reducing distress in mothers of children with autism and other disabilities: a randomized trial. Pediatrics 134:e454-63 |
