An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Psychoeducation Single Session Intervention on Childhood Anxiety for Carers of Children With a Long-Term Health Condition

The goal of this feasibility study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the ACT-based training package for carers of children with a long-term health condition (LTHC) who also experience anxiety.

The main aims were to answer:

Is the intervention feasible? Is the intervention acceptable?

The secondary aim were to answer:

Does the intervention impact how carers approach and manage their child's anxiety?

Participants completed two questionnaires, prior to watching the online training videos. They were then asked to complete another questionnaire. Two weeks later, participants were contacted via email to complete two questionnaires, one of which was a repeat from prior to completing the training.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Long-term Health Conditions
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Psychoeducation for anxiety

Detailed Description

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed, single-session, online psychoeducational training designed to support caregivers in managing their child's anxiety associated with their long-term health condition (LTHC). The study also explored preliminary changes in caregiver knowledge and approaches to managing anxiety following the intervention.

This study used a quantitative, within-subjects feasibility design. Caregivers of children aged 5-12 years with a diagnosed long-term health condition were recruited. All participants received the intervention, with no control group.

The intervention consisted of a 22-minute online training package delivered via three videos. The content is based on ACT principles and includes psychoeducation about anxiety, ACT-based metaphors and exercises to consider using with their child. The material in the training was specifically designed to support children with a LTHC, rather than generic support for anxiety.

Participants completed measures prior to the intervention, including a demographic questionnaire and the Parent Attitudes, Beliefs and Understanding about Anxiety (PABUA). Immediately following the training, participants completed a structured feedback questionnaire assessing the acceptability and accessibility of the intervention. Two weeks after completing the training, participants were invited via email to complete follow-up measures, including a repeat of the PABUA and a follow-up feedback questionnaire to assess use and perceived usefulness of the strategies.

Feasibility outcomes include recruitment rates, retention rates, and participant-reported acceptability of the intervention and study procedures. Secondary outcomes include changes in caregiver knowledge, beliefs, and confidence in managing their child's anxiety (measured by the PABUA).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 17
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Norfolk
    • Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom, NR4 7UJ
      • University of East Anglia (UEA)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary care giver of children aged 5-12 years
• The child has a long term health condition (LTHC)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Carers of children with a learning disability or waiting for an assessment for a learning disability, not including ADHD or dyslexia. This does however include Autism.
• Participants must be over 18
• Access to their own electronic device
• Not have sufficient proficiency in spoken English

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Single Group; All participants completed the intervention package. The intervention was made up of 3 online training videos lasted a total of 22 minutes.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation for anxiety; The intervention was made up of 3 videos, totalling 22 minutes. The videos incorporated psychoeducation on anxiety and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based skills for carers to consider using to support their child with anxiety. All material was based on children with long term health conditions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Structured Feedback Questionnaire	Measure to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the training, for example assessing the consent process and format of the training. The measure uses a scale of strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).	Immediately post-intervention
Follow-up Structured Feedback Questionnaire	Measure to assess barriers to engaging with the strategies since the training and reviewing usefulness of the strategies used. The measure uses a scale of strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).	2-week follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parent, Attitudes, Beliefs and Understanding about Anxiety (PABUA) (Wolk et al, 2016)	The measure was designed to evaluate parental beliefs about their child's anxiety, as well as their perceived ability to cope and manage their child's anxiety. The measure uses a scale of strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).	Pre-intervention and 2-week follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of East Anglia
• Investigators: Study Chair: Kiki Mastroyannopoulou, Senior Fellow of HEA, University of East Anglia (UEA)

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Introduction video to the study
• Video 1 of the training
• Video 2 of the training
• Video 3 of the training

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 21, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 12, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): February 12, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Feasibility; Anxiety; Caregivers; ACT; Paediatrics; Parent-led interventions
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: Harriet Leader-White

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared due to the sensitive nature of the data and potential risk of identification due to the small sample size.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No