The mechanism and effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention for reducing the psychological distress of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A protocol of randomized control trial of ecological momentary intervention and assessment.
PloS one January 1, 2023 Qi Wang, Siu-Man Ng, Xiaochen Zhou 9 citations
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience stressful daily events and psychological distress. Mindfulness can buffer this distress, but its mechanisms are unclear and standard interventions are not tailored to real-life needs. This proposed randomized controlled trial will test a mindfulness-based intervention delivered via a smartphone app with ecological momentary assessment and intervention. The study will recruit 670 parents, randomly assigning 335 to the intervention group and 335 to a control group receiving standard audio instructions. The primary outcome is psychological distress measured by the depression anxiety stress scale; secondary outcomes include subjective well-being and resilience. The intervention is expected to improve cognitive appraisal of stressful events and reduce distress.