title: Parental experiential avoidance as a potential mechanism of change in a parenting intervention for parents of children with pediatric acquired brain injury.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland felicity.brown@uqconnect.edu.au.
authors.forename: Felicity L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Koa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Whittingham
authors.affiliation: The School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, and Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sofronoff
mesh_terms: D001362:Avoidance Learning; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004505:Education, Nonprofessional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: acceptance and commitment therapy; acquired brain injury; family; parent; parenting interventions