Citation

Brown FL, Whittingham K, Sofronoff K. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2014; 40(4): 464-474.

Affiliation

The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsu109

PMID

25535318

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:  To consider the relationship of parental experiential avoidance (EA) to psychological symptoms and problematic parenting strategies after pediatric acquired brain injury (ABI).  METHODS:  Using available data from a randomized controlled trial of a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop plus a behavioral family intervention (BFI) for parents of children with ABI (n = 59), correlational and mediational analyses were conducted to consider the role of parental EA as a process of change for parent outcomes.  RESULTS:  Parent EA positively correlated with ineffective parenting behaviors and levels of psychological distress, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Reductions in EA mediated the treatment effect on reducing ineffective parenting behaviors and parent distress, but issues of temporality were present.  CONCLUSIONS:  EA is related to parent outcomes following pediatric ABI. A larger and methodologically rigorous study is called for to further elucidate this finding and specifically determine the benefits of targeting EA with interventions such as ACT, in conjunction with evidence-based BFIs.

Language: en