Drumming Groups for Parents of Autistic Children

NCT07375043 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00022914
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 10
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project aims to encourage a sense of belonging, community, and emotional support for parents of autistic children through a group drumming (music therapy) intervention.

Conditions

Anxiety Acute; Stress in Parents of Autistic Children; Stress; Depression and Quality of Life

Keywords

autism; stress; parents; caregivers; anxiety; depression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• K-10

  Anxiety and depressive symptoms, as measured by the K-10 scale (Kessler et al., 2002). Maximum score is 50, with each of the 10 items scored 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate higher distress. Optimal cutoff scores for clinically significant nonspecific psychological distress and need for treatment: total score =12, Depression = 7, and Anxiety = 3/4 (Lace et al., 2019).

  Pretest at the beginning of the first weekly session, and posttest at the end of the 8th weekly session.

• STAI-S

  Measures of state anxiety as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults- Short Form Y1 (STAIAD-S Y1) scale (Spielberger, 1977). Maximum score is 40, with each of the 10 items scored 1 to 4, and four reverse-coded items. Higher scores indicate less anxiety (more wellbeing).

  Pretest at the beginning of the first weekly session, and posttest at the end of the 8th weekly session.

• GTES

  Group cohesion and acceptability as measured by the Group Therapy Experience Scale (GTES, Marziliano et al., 2018). Maximum score is 80 with each of the 16 items scored from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate better group experience.

  Posttest at the end of the 8th weekly session.

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Parents will participate in drumming sessions that teach stress management techniques, sense of belonging, and coping skills for depression and anxiety.

Behavioral: Group Drumming

Interventions

Group Drumming BEHAVIORAL

This Drumming program is based on HealthRhythms®, a drumming protocol that has been used extensively in clinical and community populations and has research support (e.g., Grab et al., 2023; Stevens \& Fowl, 2024; Wachi et al., 2007). Adaptations will be derived from the PI's clinical and research experience with parents of autistic children. Each drumming session will have the following structure: introduction to the program, light movement \& music, icebreakers with small percussions, technique pointers for percussion instruments, rhythmic introductions (sharing names with a percussive rhythm), free group drumming, soundscapes (creating visualizations with drumming), verbal processing, closing drumming exercise. The soundscapes are creative outlets to "paint a picture" with music. These exercises promote community, engagement, emotional expression, and creative thinking, which reduce stress. Specific strategies will include reflecting, mirroring, validating, and solution reframing.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• parents or main caregivers of children in the Autism Spectrum,
• able to read and write in English.
• years or older

You may not qualify if:

• Paid caregivers
• Unable to speak, read and write in English
• Unable to follow instructions in English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Arizona State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gateway Building, Room 361 & 363, Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, 85287, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Autistic Disorder; Anxiety Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Eugenia Hernandez Ruiz, PhD

  Arizona State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Music Therapy

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 14, 2026
• First Posted: January 29, 2026
• Study Start: March 31, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, CSR
• Time Frame: January 2027 -December 2031
• Access Criteria: Investigators with a minimum of a PhD education and institutional affiliation may request aggregated, anonymized data. Raw, anonymized data would be available to researchers in reputable research organizations if an approved study protocol for secondary data analysis is shared with the PI.

Locations

US (1)