Caregiver Mental HealthNCT07591636
ACT Dad Interview: ACT for Fathers of Children With Special Needs
An observational study of Caregiver Mental Health and Parenting Stress, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Trial summary
The goal of this qualitative study is to develop a therapy protocol for fathers of children with special needs in Hong Kong. The therapy is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people cope with difficult emotions by building psychological flexibility - the ability to accept and adjust to hard… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Caregiver Mental Health, Parenting Stress, Developmental Disabilities
- What is being tested?
- Semi-structured Focus Group Interview
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 May 2026to 1 May 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years with a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability (including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability), and social workers with experience working with these families. All participants are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
Who may be able to join
- are the biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years,
- are with a child having a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, or related neurodevelopmental conditions,
- are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
- have experience in working with biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years who have a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, or related neurodevelopmental conditions,
- are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
Who cannot join
- Fathers with physical or cognitive impairment
- Father with learning problems as identified from NGO or related medical records
- For social workers,
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: A Qualitative Study to Develop a Protocol Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Fathers of Children With Special Needs in Improving Their Psychological Flexibility and Mental Health
The goal of this qualitative study is to develop a therapy protocol for fathers of children with special needs in Hong Kong. The therapy is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people cope with difficult emotions by building psychological flexibility - the ability to accept and adjust to hard situations. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- What are the experiences and needs of fathers raising children with special needs?
- What content and format of an ACT programme would be most helpful for these fathers?
Read more
Researchers will conduct focus group interviews with two groups of participants: fathers raising children with special needs and social workers who work with these families. The interviews will take about 60 to 90 minutes each.
Participants will:
- Take part in a recorded focus group interview
- Share their experiences, challenges, and views on what an ACT program should include
The findings will be used to develop a protocol for an ACT programme to improve the mental health of fathers raising children with special needs.
- Conditions
- Caregiver Mental Health, Parenting Stress, Developmental Disabilities, Special Needs Children, FATHER
- Being tested
- Semi-structured Focus Group Interview
- Keywords
- mental health, Father, psychological flexibility, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Qualitative Study, Special Needs
- Medical subject headings
- Developmental Disabilities, Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Semi-structured Focus Group InterviewOther
Participants will take part in a 60 to 90-minute, video-recorded, semi-structured focus group interview conducted in Cantonese.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| SEN father and social workers | Not described Receives: Other: Semi-structured Focus Group Interview |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Psychological flexibility
Qualitative method, conducted in the form of individual semi-structured interviews.
Measured: immediately after the interview
Mental Health
Qualitative method, conducted in the form of individual semi-structured interviews.
Measured: immediately after the interview
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 May 2026
- Study start1 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion1 May 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Caregiver Mental HealthStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dr Katherine Lam, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07591636
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ACT Dad interview
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 9 May 2026
- Last updated
- 18 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Qualitative Study to Develop a Protocol Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Fathers of Children With Special Needs in Improving Their Psychological Flexibility and Mental Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07591636
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ACT Dad interview
- Conditions
- Caregiver Mental Health, Parenting Stress, Developmental Disabilities, Special Needs Children, FATHER
- Keywords
- mental health, Father, psychological flexibility, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Qualitative Study, Special Needs
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 May 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 May 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 18 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this qualitative study is to develop a therapy protocol for fathers of children with special needs in Hong Kong. The therapy is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people cope with difficult emotions by building psychological flexibility - the ability to accept and adjust to hard situations. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- What are the experiences and needs of fathers raising children with special needs?
- What content and format of an ACT programme would be most helpful for these fathers?
Researchers will conduct focus group interviews with two groups of participants: fathers raising children with special needs and social workers who work with these families. The interviews will take about 60 to 90 minutes each.
Participants will:
- Take part in a recorded focus group interview
- Share their experiences, challenges, and views on what an ACT program should include
The findings will be used to develop a protocol for an ACT programme to improve the mental health of fathers raising children with special needs.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| SEN father and social workers | – | Other: Semi-structured Focus Group Interview |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years with a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability (including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or intellectual disability), and social workers with experience working with these families. All participants are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- are the biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years,
- are with a child having a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, or related neurodevelopmental conditions,
- are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
- have experience in working with biological fathers of children aged 2 to 12 years who have a formal diagnosis of a developmental disability, including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, or related neurodevelopmental conditions,
- are able to speak Cantonese and read Chinese.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Fathers with physical or cognitive impairment
- Father with learning problems as identified from NGO or related medical records
- For social workers,
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-structured Focus Group InterviewParticipants will take part in a 60 to 90-minute, video-recorded, semi-structured focus group interview conducted in Cantonese. | Other | SEN father and social workers |
Primary outcome
Psychological flexibility
Time frame: immediately after the interview
Qualitative method, conducted in the form of individual semi-structured interviews.
Mental Health
Time frame: immediately after the interview
Qualitative method, conducted in the form of individual semi-structured interviews.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Caregiver Mental Health and Parenting Stress, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Ka Wai Katherine LAM, Doctor of Philosophy (+852 27666420, kw-katherine.lam@polyu.edu.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Psychological flexibility (time frame: immediately after the interview). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 May 2026.