Empower Your Mind to Embrace Your Life: an Online ACT Intervention for Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) has a substantial impact on daily life and significantly affects functioning, mental health and quality of life. Although considered a disease of the elderly, an early diagnosis is also common. Non-pharmacological interventions have been increasingly recommended for PD, including psychotherapy, with emerging evidence suggesting that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may be suitable to support individuals living with PD. This project aims to expand the current evidence for ACT interventions in this population by developing, implementing, and investigating the preliminary efficacy of a novel online-delivered ACT intervention (Empower your mind to embrace your life) for individuals with a diagnosis of young-onset PD. For this purpose, a feasibility study will be conducted to assess the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the intervention across two groups (control and ACT intervention). This group-based intervention consists of eight weekly sessions and will be delivered in an online format (via videoconferencing). Outcome measurement will be assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. When comparing changes in outcome variables between the control and intervention groups at post-treatment, improvements are expected only in the intervention group. These improvements are also expected to be maintained over time (at 3-month follow-up). Lastly, changes in psychological (in)flexibility processes are expected to predict changes in outcome variables in the intervention group. This study will provide important insights to research and clinical practice by providing data on the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this novel ACT-based intervention for the context of young-onset PD.