Parental Experiential Avoidance as a Potential Mechanism of Change in a Parenting Intervention for Parents of Children With Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury

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.