Virtual Acceptance and Commitment Training to Promote Wellbeing of Staff Supporting Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: A Feasibility Study.
Kendra Thomson, Sarah Davis, Sarah Ludmilla Bernier and 3 others
PMID 40524447WHAT IT FOUND
Staff found this virtual Acceptance and Commitment Training workshop acceptable and supportive.
Distress scores improved overall, but when split by role, managers improved while direct support professionals showed no significant change. This feasibility study cannot confirm the training works for either group.
Key findings
01Participants rated the workshop highly for acceptability, with 91.14% saying they would recommend it to colleagues.
02Across the whole group, scores for stress, anxiety, and depression decreased significantly after the workshop, and psychological flexibility increased.
03When analysed separately, managers showed significant improvements in stress and depression, but direct support professionals showed no significant changes on any measure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so improvements cannot be separated from the passage of time or natural fluctuations in stress. The study was underpowered; post hoc analyses indicated low power, meaning non-significant findings (like those for DSPs) might be due to sample size rather than a true lack of effect. Attrition was high: only 81 of 149 consented participants completed the post-measures. All outcomes were self-reported and susceptible to bias, such as social desirability. The sample was predominantly white and female, limiting generalisability. Treatment integrity was not formally measured or recorded.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this training is ineffective for direct support professionals because their scores did not change significantly. The study was underpowered, and DSPs started with higher distress levels, so the lack of statistical significance may reflect the study's limitations rather than a true absence of benefit.