Bidang Kajian : Kanak-kanak
Pelajar/Pengkaji Oleh: Shahidah Binti Mohamed Makki
Alamat Emel: shahidahmakki@gmail.com
Tarikh: 19/05/2021
Abstrak Kajian
Pregnancy during adolescence is a risk factor for mental health problems which subsequently impairs maternal functioning in the postpartum period. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a potential intervention for adolescents as they navigate through the developmental challenges of adolescence and pregnancy. As there are scarce local research on the efficacy of ACT on adolescents, this pilot study aims to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of ACT in unmarried pregnant adolescents. Materials and Methods: A pre-test and post-test design without control group was employed. Based on the inclusion criteria, five participants from Taman Seri Puteri Cheras aged between 13 to 19 years old (M = 15.4) and pregnant at 24 weeks and below during enrolment were conveniently selected. The participants received 8 weekly session of ACT group intervention encompassing 4 modules (i.e., mindfulness, cognitive diffusion, values and committed action). All participants were assessed using five measures [i.e., World Health Organization–Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Valuing Questionnaire (VQ) and Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ)] at baseline, week 4, week 8 (post-intervention) and 1-month follow up. Feedback regarding the intervention was obtained at post- intervention. Results: No significant differences were revealed between pre-, week 4 and post-intervention. However, the trend of outcome (psychological well-being, mindfulness, cognitive diffusion, value–progress and committed action) were found to change in the intended direction at 1-month follow up. Participant’s feedback on the study varied from sad, bored, satisfied and happy with the program. Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggests that ACT group intervention needs to be modified to ensure better engagement from adolescents. Furthermore, conducting the ACT with a larger sample size and comparison to control group is necessary to confirm the efficacy of ACT in promoting psychological well-being of unmarried pregnant adolescents.