Mindful parenting program for parents of adolescents with special educational needs.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness Program for Parents of Children With SEN

Not applicable Interventional The University of Hong Kong · NCT06522243

This will try an eight-week online mindful parenting program for Cantonese-speaking parents of adolescents with special educational needs to see if it improves parents' wellbeing and their adolescents' behavior.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment120 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorThe University of Hong Kong Academic / other
Locations1 site (Hong Kong)
Trial IDNCT06522243 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Parents of adolescents with special educational needs often face elevated stress and challenging parent-child interactions, and this program delivers eight weekly online mindful parenting sessions plus one follow-up to address those issues. Participants are randomized to start the program immediately or join a waitlist so outcomes can be compared between groups. Questionnaires are completed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up, while session audio and Zoom conversations are recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes related to mindfulness practice and parent experience. The trial excludes parents with active severe psychiatric conditions, substance abuse, or high suicidal risk and is run in Cantonese from the University of Hong Kong.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Cantonese-speaking adults who have been the primary caregiver of an adolescent with special educational needs for at least one year and who do not have active severe psychiatric or substance problems are the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Parents with active psychotic symptoms, high suicidal risk, substance abuse, severe bipolar or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, or other excluded severe conditions are unlikely to benefit or be eligible for this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce parenting stress and high expressed emotion, improving parents' mental wellbeing and potentially leading to better behavioral outcomes for adolescents with SEN.

How similar studies have performed: Previous mindful parenting and mindfulness-based interventions have shown modest improvements in parental stress and parent-child interactions, so this approach has some supporting evidence.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* with one adolescent child with special educational need(s)
* being the major caregiver for the adolescent for at least one year
* Cantonese speaker

Exclusion Criteria:

* schizophrenia-spectrum disorder
* bipolar disorder
* substance abuse
* developmental disabilities
* physical disabilities
* with active psychotic symptoms
* high suicidal risks
* experiencing a recent personal crisis

Where this trial is running

Hong Kong

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions Expressed EmotionStressWell-Being, Psychological
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.