‘Living in the present’ Mindfulness for parents of children with skin conditions: A single group case series

Hughes, Olivia, Shelton, Katherine H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1311-5291, Penny, Helen and Thompson, Andrew R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7222 2024. ‘Living in the present’ Mindfulness for parents of children with skin conditions: A single group case series. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 10.1017/S1352465824000341

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Abstract

Background: Parents of children with skin conditions can experience stress from the additional responsibilities of care. However, there is a lack of psychological interventions for families affected by a dermatological diagnosis. Aims: To investigate (1) whether delivering the ‘Living in the Present’ mindfulness curriculum to parents of children with skin conditions reduced stress and increased both parental/child quality of life (QoL), and (2) determine intervention acceptability. Method: Ten parents of children with eczema, ectodermal dysplasia, ichthyosis, and alopecia took part in a mindfulness-based intervention. Using mixed methods, a single-group experimental case design (SCED) was conducted and supplemented by thematic analysis of exit interviews. Parents completed idiographic measures of parenting stress, standardised measures of QoL, stress, mindfulness, and took part in exit interviews. Children also completed QoL measures. Results: Tau-U analysis of idiographic measures revealed three parents showed some significant improvements in positive targets, and five parents showed some significant improvements in negative targets. Assessment of reliable change demonstrated that: one parent showed improvement in mindful parenting, three parents showed improvement in parenting stress, seven parents showed improvement in anxiety, three parents showed improvements in depression, six parents showed improvement in QoL, and four children showed improvement in QoL. However, two parents showed increased anxiety. Thematic analysis revealed positive changes to mood following mindfulness, although challenges were highlighted, including sustaining home practice. Conclusion: Findings suggest this specific form of mindfulness intervention could be effective for parents of children with skin conditions; however, further robust studies are needed.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	1352-4658
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 July 2024
Date of Acceptance:	17 July 2024
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2024 08:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/170656

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