Clinical Research Directory

ACT-Based Counseling to Improve Psychological Flexibility in Mothers of Infants Hospitalized in the NICU

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate two Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based counseling approaches for mothers whose infants are hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mothers of infants in the NICU may experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. ACT is an approach that aims to improve psychological flexibility by helping people respond more effectively to difficult thoughts, emotions, and stressful experiences. A total of 135 mothers will be enrolled from two hospitals in Istanbul, Türkiye. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: an individual online ACT-based workshop, an ACT-based chatbot counseling program, or standard care. Mothers in the online workshop group will receive one individual 60-minute online session that includes mindfulness, acceptance, cognitive defusion, values clarification, and committed action exercises. Mothers in the chatbot group will receive ACT-based psychoeducation, guided exercises, and supportive digital counseling through a mobile application for four weeks. Mothers in the control group will receive the routine information and care normally provided in the NICU. Psychological flexibility will be the primary outcome. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms will be evaluated as secondary outcomes. Assessments will be completed at baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and at the 6-month follow-up. The study aims to determine whether ACT-based online and digital counseling can improve psychological flexibility and reduce psychological distress among mothers of infants hospitalized in the NICU.

Severe Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Treatment Bundle, Using Spinal Cord Stimulation and Multidisciplinary Treatment, to Reduce Pain and Improve Physical Function.

People with nerve damage can develop nerve pain. The pain can sometimes be severe and unpredictable, causing odd or alarming sensations - for example, lightning-like or electric shock feelings in the area served by the damaged nerve. The investigators will examine a treatment for nerve pain in the legs caused by nerve damage, which can occur after a herniated disc or a bone fracture, with or without surgery. Previous research suggests that spinal cord stimulation can relieve nerve pain in the legs after surgery or injury, but its effectiveness is still debated. Other studies show that multidisciplinary treatment helps people with long-term pain to improve their quality of life and to better cope in life. National and international guidelines recommend this kind of multidisciplinary care for long-term pain. There has yet been published research on spinal cord stimulation combined with multidisciplinary treatment as a bundle intervention. The investigators therefore want to find out whether this combined approach can reduce nerve pain in the legs and improve physical functioning.