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NCT Number: NCT07345806

A Pilot Study on an ACT-Based Program for Individuals With Special Needs and Their Caregivers

Parenting children with special health care needs can be stressful and weigh on the caregivers' mental health. For the individuals with special needs, the mismatch between their needs and the normative practice in the world around them can be frustrating and detrimental to their functioning. The demands and concerns to these families can be so real that it may not be sensible to examine the validity or helpfulness of the distressing thoughts or feelings but to promote psychological flexibility, which is a key to value-guided living. This pilot study explores the effects and feasibility of a group-based intervention for families of individuals with special health care needs.

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Key information

Conditions

Parenting Stress Psychological Flexibility

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Salvation Army SKY Family and Child Development Centre

Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Pui Man Chan

CONTACT

[email protected]

+852-3619-0191

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • be at or older than 18 years old
  • understand Cantonese
  • read as well as write Chinese

Exclusion criteria

  • with borderline or greater intellectual deficits
  • weak language abilities
  • severe conditions related to mental, emotional, and/or behavioral functioning

Treatment and study plan

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Behavioral

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a well-established and evidence-based psychotherapy for individuals at different ages and with different clinical needs. The protocol used in the current study is adapted from an established local group intervention and tailored to families of individuals with special health care needs.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline in Psychological Flexibility as Measured by the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory

    Time frame: From baseline (T0) to two (T1), four (T2), and six (T3; post-intervention) weeks into treatment

    Score on psychological flexibility is the sum of scores across items

  2. Change from Baseline in Psychological Inflexibility as Measured by the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory

    Time frame: From baseline (T0) to two (T1), four (T2), and six (T3; post-intervention) weeks into treatment

    Score on psychological inflexibility is the sum of scores across items

  3. Change from Baseline in Psychological Well-being as Measured by the 5-Item World Health Organization Well-being Index

    Time frame: From baseline (T0) to two (T1), four (T2), and six (T3; post-intervention) weeks into treatment

    Score on psychological well-being is the sum of scores across items

  4. Change from Baseline in Parenting Stress as Measured by the Parenting Stress Scale

    Time frame: From baseline to six weeks into treatment

    Score on parenting stress is the sum of scores across items

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline in Child Externalizing as Measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

    Time frame: From baseline to six weeks into treatment (i.e., post-intervention)

    Score on externalizing is the sum of scores across items

  2. Change from Baseline in Child Internalizing as Measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

    Time frame: From baseline to six weeks into treatment (i.e., post-intervention)

    Score on externalizing is the sum of scores across items

  3. Participants' Satisfaction with the Intervention Program

    Time frame: Six-week into treatment (i.e., post-intervention)

    Eight items on a 5-point Likert scale are designed specifically for this study to assess participants' experience with the treatment program.

  4. Participants' Personal Narratives on Their Experience with the Intervention Program

    Time frame: Within six weeks after completing the treatment

    Both open-ended text items and interviews are utilized to invite participants' sharing of their experiences throughout the treatment

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Pui Man Chan

CONTACT

[email protected]

+852-36190191

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Hong Kong

Other

Collaborators

  • The Salvation Army, Hong Kong and Macau Command

Registry information

Official study title

Promoting Wellbeing and Personal Values: A Pilot Study on a Group-Based Program for Individuals With Special Needs and Their Caregivers

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 16, 2026
Registry last updated
Jan 16, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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