Mindfulness Intervention for Parents of Children With ASD

This study aims to develop a smartphone app based on mindfulness-based interventions and test its effectiveness in parents of children with ASD. This study aims:To establish the relationship between different life events, cognitive appraisal, and the psychological distress between parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD);To demonstrate the relationship between parents' cognitive appraisal of life events and psychological distress moderated by mindfulness;To examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) via ecological momentary intervention (EMI) in reducing the psychological distress of parents of children with ASD;To calculate the cost-effectiveness of MBI via EMI in reducing the psychological distress of parents of children with ASD.

The inclusion criteria will comprise (1) parents of children with ASD (children aged between 6-18 and diagnosed with different functional levels of ASD by certified psychologists); (2) own a mobile smartphone with internet access; (3) will stay in Hong Kong during the 8-week EMI study period, and (4) able to read and write in Chinese.The exclusion criteria will include (1) parents diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and stress disorder by certified doctors; and (2) parents who do not live together with their children with ASD on the daily basis.