TY  - JOUR
AU  - Fung, Kenneth Po-Lun
AU  - Vahabi, Mandana
AU  - Moosapoor, Masoomeh
AU  - Akbarian, Abdolreza
AU  - Jing-Wen Liu, Jenny
AU  - Wong, Josephine Pui-Hing
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/9/13
TI  - Implementation of an Internet-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Promoting Mental Health Among Migrant Live-in Caregivers in Canada: Protocol
JO  - JMIR Res Protoc
SP  - e31211
VL  - 10
IS  - 9
KW  - migrant live-in caregiver
KW  - women
KW  - mental health
KW  - acceptance commitment therapy
KW  - resiliency
KW  - empowerment
AB  - Background: Psychological distress, isolation, feelings of powerlessness, and limited social support are realities faced by temporary migrant live-in caregivers in Canada. Furthermore, they experience multiple barriers in accessing mental health services due to their long work hours, limited knowledge of health resources, precarious employment, and immigration status. Objective: The Women Empowerment - Caregiver Acceptance & Resilience E-Learning (WE2CARE) project is a pilot intervention research project that aims to promote the mental well-being and resiliency of migrant live-in caregivers. The objectives include exploring the effectiveness of this program in achieving the following: (1) reducing psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress); (2) promoting committed actions of self-care; and (3) building mutual support social networks. Further, participants’ satisfaction with the intervention and their perceived barriers to and facilitators of practicing the self-care strategies embedded in WE2CARE will be examined. Methods: A total of 36 live-in caregivers residing in the Greater Toronto Area will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention or waitlist control group. The intervention group will receive a 6-week web-based psychosocial intervention that will be based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Standardized self-reported surveys will be administered online preintervention, postintervention, and at 6 weeks postintervention to assess mental distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale), psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire), mindfulness (Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale – Revised), and resilience (Multi-System Model of Resilience Inventory). In addition, two focus groups will be held with a subset of participants to explore their feedback on the utility of the WE2CARE program. Results: WE2CARE was funded in January 2019 for a year. The protocol was approved by the research ethics boards of Ryerson University (REB 2019-036) and the University of Toronto (RIS37623) in February and May 2019, respectively. Data collection started upon ethics approval and was completed by May 2020. A total of 29 caregivers completed the study and 20 participated in the focus groups. Data analyses are in progress and results will be published in 2021. Conclusions: WE2CARE could be a promising approach to reducing stress, promoting resilience, and providing a virtual space for peer emotional support and collaborative learning among socially isolated and marginalized women. The results of this pilot study will inform the adaptation of an ACT-based psychological intervention for online delivery and determine its utility in promoting mental health among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/31211 
SN  - 1929-0748
UR  - https://www.researchprotocols.org/2021/9/e31211
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/31211
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34515642
DO  - 10.2196/31211
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/31211
ER  -