EARLY PACT: Parenting acceptance and commitment therapy: a trial of an innovative web-based intervention for parents of infants diagnosed as at risk of cerebral palsy

Chief Investigators: Dr Koa Whittingham, Dr Jeanie Sheffield, Prof. Roslyn Boyd. 

Aims: To improve psychological outcomes for families of infants at risk of CP by testing EARLY PACT, utilising web-based delivery for maximum reach and parental convenience. Parenting is the key modifiable factor that impacts upon children’s psychological and social wellbeing.

Design: RCT where parents of infants at risk of CP (n=126) from around Australia will be allocated to: PACT or wait-list control. Intervention: PACT is based on behavioural parenting interventions and parental emotional responsiveness. Content includes: understanding parenting stress, exploring of the workability of struggling with parenting stress, understanding parenting values, understanding and practicing mindfulness, accepting emotions and promoting emotional resilience. EARLY PACT incorporates: virtual presentations, MP3 guided mindfulness exercises, emails, text messages, web-based exercises with feedback and web based sessions with a child psychologist.