NCT06897553

ACT for Mental Health in Neurological Disorders

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy- Based Group Therapy for Mental Health in Neurological Disorders

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 44 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Bielefeld University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the efficacy of this manual for mental health in people with mixed neurological disorders, including post-COVID. These conditions are often associated with cognitive impairment, which may hamper the effects of psychoterapy. Executive functioning and especially the ability to abstract thinking may be useful for individuals using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Therefore, the main questions research questions are: * Is this intervention effective in improving mental health? * Do executive functions predict the extent of social participation and mental health at the end of therapy? Participants will take part in 8 weekly group therapy sessions of 100 minutes each.

Detailed description

Mental health issues, especially depression, anxiety, and stress, are common in people with neurological disorders and post-COVID but often neglected and hence, remain untreated. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising approach to assist people in adapting to their conditions by improving "psychological flexibility". A previous study translated an adapted group psychotherapy manual for stroke survivors into German and demonstrated its feasibility. This pilot study also gave first indications on the manual's efficacy in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of this ACT-based group therapy. People with neurological disorders may have impairments in executive functions, which can affect the psychotherapeutic process. Since ACT often uses metaphors and imagery, executive functions, particularly the ability to abstract, could influence the efficacy of the therapy and are therefore being investigated in this study. The program includes 8 weekly sessions with a session length of 100 minutes.

Conditions

• Neurological Disorders
• Mental Health
• Executive Function (Cognition)
• Depression/Anxiety
• Stress
• Brain Injury
• Post-COVID

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	ACT-based group therapy	ACT-based group therapy based on the manual "Living Well with Neurological Conditions" published by Hill et al. (2017; NHS Fundation Trust; available: https://goo.gl/aX6qB5). The manual was translated into German and adapted by shortening sessions, simplifying language and adapting exercises based on clinical experience. The publication of the feasibility study for the adapted manual is currently in preparation. The group therapy includes eight weekly sessions with a duration of 100 minutes each. Three to six individuals participate in a group. The therapy is delivered by at least one licensed psychotherapists. A co-therapist might be included based on individual needs of the group members.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-12-01
• Primary completion: 2026-08-31
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2025-03-27
• Last updated: 2025-03-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany