MIND-FULNESS-BASED FAMILY RESILIENCE INTERVENTION FOR MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

NCT07816653 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2025/613
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention can improve family resilience and mindfulness in mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. The intervention combines mindfulness practices with principles from Walsh's systemic family resilience model. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does the intervention improve mothers' reported family resilience?
• Does the intervention improve mothers' mindfulness?
• How do mothers describe their caregiving experiences, parenting roles, and family life, and how do these experiences change during the intervention? Researchers will compare mothers who receive the Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention with mothers in a control group who continue to receive usual care. Participants in the intervention group will:
• Attend one group session per week for eight weeks, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes.
• Take part in mindfulness practices and activities focused on awareness of thoughts, emotions, and bodily experiences, acceptance, self-compassion, and personal and family resources.
• Complete assessments of family resilience and mindfulness before the intervention, after the intervention, and at a three-month follow-up. Participants in the control group will continue to receive usual care and will complete the same assessments at the same time points. The study will also examine participants' experiences during the group intervention to better understand the processes that accompany changes in family resilience and mindfulness.

Conditions

Family Resilience; Mindfulness

Keywords

Family resilience; Mindfulness; Intellectual disability; Mothers; Mindfulness-based intervention; Mixed methods

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Family Resilience Scale (FRS)

  Family resilience was assessed using the Family Resilience Scale (FRS), developed by Kaner and Bayraklı (2010). The scale consists of 37 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Does not describe me at all") to 5 ("Describes me very well"). Total scores range from 37 to 185, with higher scores indicating higher levels of family resilience. The scale includes four subscales: Resilience/Challenge (17 items), Self-Efficacy (9 items), Commitment to Life (8 items), and Control (3 items).

  Baseline (March 13, 2026), immediately post-intervention (May 1, 2026), and 3-month follow-up (July 31, 2026)

• Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

  Mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), developed by Brown and Ryan (2003). The scale consists of 15 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("Almost always") to 6 ("Almost never"). Total scores range from 15 to 90, with higher scores indicating higher levels of mindful attention and awareness. The Turkish adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Özyeşil et al. (2011).

  Baseline (March 13, 2026), immediately post-intervention (May 1, 2026), and 3-month follow-up (July 31, 2026)

Study Arms (2)

Change in Family Resilience and Change in Mindfulness

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the experimental arm received the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention. The intervention was delivered once weekly, with each group session lasting approximately 90 minutes. The program integrated Walsh's systemic family resilience framework with mindfulness-based practices, including breath and body awareness, nonjudgmental observation of thoughts and emotions, acceptance, self-compassion, emotion regulation, and activities aimed at identifying personal and family resources.

Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to the control group continued to receive usual care during the study period and did not receive the Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention. They completed the same outcome assessments as the experimental group at baseline, post-intervention, and the three-month follow-up.

Interventions

Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention BEHAVIORAL

The Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention was an eight-week, group-based behavioral intervention integrating mindfulness practices with Walsh's systemic family resilience framework. The intervention was delivered once weekly, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes. The eight sessions focused sequentially on: (1) building safety and awareness, (2) acceptance of emotions and self-compassion, (3) values and meaning-making, (4) acceptance of uncertainty, (5) flexible problem solving, (6) discovering family strengths, (7) consolidating gains and relapse prevention, and (8) integration and closure. Core mindfulness components included breath and body awareness, acceptance-based mindfulness, values-focused mindfulness, cognitive defusion and observing thoughts, strength-focused mindfulness, the three-minute breathing space, and compassion and gratitude meditation. Experiential and group activities were used to support emotional awareness, acceptance, psychological

Change in Family Resilience and Change in Mindfulness

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 27 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: Eligibility was limited to women because the study was specifically designed for mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. The intervention focused on mothers' caregiving experiences, family resilience, and mindfulness; therefore, only mothers were included to maintain consistency with the predefined target population and intervention framework.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \* Mothers of children aged 9-17 years.
• Mothers whose children had mild or moderate intellectual disability.
• Willingness to participate in the study and provide informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

• Mothers whose children had severe intellectual disability.
• Declining to participate in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sinop University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sinop University

Sinop, Sinop, 57100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Intellectual Disability

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants and intervention facilitators were not blinded due to the nature of the group-based intervention. However, the datasets were coded so that group identities were concealed during statistical analysis, and the analyses were conducted without knowledge of group allocation.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assoc. Prof

Model Details: This study used a two-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled design. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Family Resilience Group Intervention, delivered once weekly in approximately 90-minute group sessions. The control group continued to receive usual care. Both groups were assessed before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at the three-month follow-up.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 6, 2026
• First Posted: September 14, 2026
• Study Start: March 13, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2026
• Study Completion: July 21, 2026
• Last Updated: September 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)