ACT-Based Training for Parental Burnout and Child Well-being

The purpose of the proposed randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing parental burnout and improving children's emotional and behavioral adjustment in families in Hong Kong over 3 months after the intervention. The findings will provide valuable and scientific insights to inform better parenting interventions and child protection policies.

Parental burnout is becoming more widely recognized as a serious social issue. It is particularly prevalent among high-stress families like those impacted by child maltreatment or domestic violence. According to prior research, psychological flexibility-a core component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-is crucial for promoting healthy parent-child relationships and adaptive parenting practices. However, there is still a dearth of empirical evidence supporting ACT-based interventions for reducing parental burnout and improving child adjustment. The purpose of this study is to investigate how ACT interventions differ in their impact on parents and children in Hong Kong. The specific aims are to evaluate the effectiveness of an ACT-based training program in lowering parental burnout and investigate its influence on children's emotional and behavioral adjustment. Parents will participate in an ACT-based parenting training program designed to increase psychological flexibility in the ACT intervention group. Aiming at improving psychological flexibility and reducing parental burnout, the training program incorporates mindfulness, values-based parenting, and cognitive defusion strategies. It provides parents with the resources they require to manage stress, regulate emotions, and promote parent-child relationships, which benefits both themselves and their children. To foster emotional regulation and resilience, children aged 6-11 will also participate in a group-based, child-focused ACT Program designed for their developmental needs. This program incorporates experiential learning exercises, mindfulness activities, and storytelling using picture books to facilitate participation and engagement. These child-focused components seek to reinforce the skills parents have learned while directly supporting child adjustment. This study aims to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention targeting. The intervention is designed to improve parental psychological flexibility and parenting behaviour, enhance parent- child relationships, and child-related outcomes within a separate sample of parents and children over the 3- month post-intervention. The study will be conducted in collaboration with Harmony Home Limited, leveraging the expertise of paraprofessionals trained in ACT.