Family-Centred ACT After Paediatric ABI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Family-Centred Acceptance and Commitment Therapy After Paediatric Acquired Brain Injury
IRAS ID
352226
Contact name
Anna Tickle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
000, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Every year in the UK, thousands of children and young people (CYP) sustain acquired brain injuries (ABI) resulting from trauma or illness. These injuries can lead to a range of physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges for the CYP affected and their families. While medical interventions have improved survival rates, there's a growing need to address long-term impacts on quality of life.
CYP with ABI can struggle with social and emotional difficulties, which can affect their overall well-being. Additionally, families of CYP with ABI experience significant stress and disruptions to their lives as they begin to adjust to new ways of living. Interventions targeting family functioning have shown promise, with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) being one such approach. ACT is a talking therapy that aims to help people accept challenging circumstances and engage with values. ACT has been shown to be effective in people experiencing many physical and mental health conditions.
Research has shown that improvements to a parent’s mental health and wellbeing can also improve the mental health and wellbeing of the CYP with ABI. ACT has been delivered to parents of CYP with ABI, which has been shown to improve outcomes for both the parents and the CYP. There are also studies that have demonstrated that ACT delivered to parents and CYP at the same time can improve mental health and wellbeing outcomes, but this has not yet been done with CYP with ABI and their parents.
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of family-centred ACT on the mental health and wellbeing of children with ABI and their families. The results of the study may guide clinicians and researchers in understanding what might be helpful to support the emotional and social needs of children and young people with ABI and their families.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
25/NS/0058
Date of REC Opinion
30 May 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion