Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Parental Mental Health and Child Behavior in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Children (Basel, Switzerland) December 30, 2025 Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Katerina Maniadaki
An eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program enriched with mindful parenting practices significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress, and increased positive affect and life satisfaction in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). All 30 parents in the intervention group completed the program and reported high acceptability. Improvements were maintained or strengthened at a one-month follow-up, while the 26-parent waitlist control group showed no significant changes. Parents in the MBCT group also reported indirect, parent-perceived improvements in their children's behavioral adjustment at both post-intervention and follow-up.