NCT04919330

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based Eczema Management Programme

Embodying a Compassionate Self Through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Parents and Children With Eczema: A Family Based Eczema Management Programme

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 78 (actual)
• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This pilot randomised wait-list controlled trial aims to determine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a Family Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based Eczema Management Programme (FACT-EMP) on the health outcomes of both children patients and their main caregivers over a 3-month post-intervention.

Detailed description

Background: Eczema is the most common paediatric skin condition affecting 15-20% children worldwide and 30% of children in Hong Kong. The highly visible nature of eczema symptoms that deviate from the individual's idealized body image could compromise his/her sense of self, leading to feelings of body image disturbance. It has been reported that children may use their illness to avoid schools, experience low self-esteem, shame and guilt and even stigmatization. In addition, their parents experience high level of stress in caring for their children with eczema, can easily generate shame and guilt feelings if they perceive themselves not performing satisfactory parenting roles in safeguarding their child's health. One emerging therapeutic approach to managing body-image concern, psychological difficulties associated with self-criticism and shame is by fostering self-compassion. This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial aiming at examining the effects of a family-based eczema management programme in Hong Kong utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to foster self-compassion of parents and their children affected by eczema. It is expected that fostering self-compassion could empower the parent-child dyads in cultivating a more loving, kind and forgiving attitude towards eczema, leading to improved motivation for self-care and better health outcomes. If found effective, the programme can improve the lives of many local families with children living with eczema through addressing their unmet psychological needs. In addition, the programme can be incorporated into current service in hospitals and community settings in Hong Kong and other Chinese communities. Aim and hypothesis to be tested: The proposed study will use a single-blinded, pilot randomized wait-list controlled trial design to determine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a family ACT-based eczema management programme (FACT-EMP) on the health outcomes of both parent caregivers and children with eczema over 3-month post-intervention. It is hypothesized that when compared with a wait-list control group receiving standard care, the participants of the programme can show significant improvements in: 1. childhood eczema severity (primary outcome for children), 2. parental eczema management (primary outcome for parents), 3. parental depression, anxiety and stress, 4. health-related quality of life, psychological flexibility and self-compassion of both caregivers and their children with eczema immediately at immediately and 3-month post-intervention. Design: A randomized wait-list controlled trial Participants: Parents and their children aged 6-12 years diagnosed with eczema Intervention condition: The parent-child dyads will receive four weekly 2-hour sessions of FACT-EMP. In each session, a group of 7-8 parent-child dyads will receive 90 minutes of ACT, followed by 30 minutes of education related to eczema management. The dyads in the wait-list control group will be offered to receive the same intervention after the completion of all assessments of the intervention arm. Outcomes: The primary outcome for children is childhood eczema severity, while the primary outcome for parents is parental eczema management. The secondary outcomes for children are quality of life, self-compassion and psychological flexibility, while the secondary outcomes for parents are symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, quality of life, psychological flexibility and self-compassion. The assessments of the aforementioned outcomes will be conducted at baseline, at post-intervention and at 3-month post-intervention by trained nurses/ research staff blinded to treatment allocation.

Conditions

• Eczema

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Family Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based Eczema Management Programme	The parent-child dyads will receive four weekly 2-hour sessions of family ACT-based eczema management programme (FACT-EMP). In each session, a group of 6-8 parent-child dyads will receive 90 minutes of ACT, followed by 30 minutes of education related to eczema management. Throughout the sessions, ACT strategies will help the dyads achieve the following therapeutic processes: To weaken the rumination cycle and "fused thoughts" related to eczema with body-image concern, shame and self-criticism for extending kindness and understanding to oneself; to build self-perspective-taking when seeing one's experience as part of the larger human experience; to strengthen their stands for their values related to self-kindness with acceptance of one's experience; and to take steps to act on values while practising kindness and compassion. Same as the waitlist control, the dyads will receive routine eczema care provided by the study hospital, including medical follow-ups and nurses' consultation.
BEHAVIORAL	Wait-list Control Group	The parent-child dyads will receive routine eczema care provided by the study hospital, including medical follow-ups and nurses' consultation. To ensure equity of access to potentially effective treatment (i.e., family ACT-based eczema management programme), the dyads in the wait-list control group will receive the same programme after the completion of all assessments of the intervention arm.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-07-03
• Primary completion: 2023-06-30
• Completion: 2023-09-30
• First posted: 2021-06-09
• Last updated: 2024-07-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Hong Kong