Background Parents caring for a child with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) are at high
risk for psychological distress and have limited access to psychological care.
Therefore, a web-based psychological support program for severely distressed
parents of children with CF (WEP-CARE) was developed and evaluated for its
feasibility and efficacy. Methods A clinical expert panel developed WEP-CARE
based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. This web-based writing
therapy comprises nine sessions, tailored for the specific needs of
caregivers. The pilot study was conducted as a single-group intervention with
pre-post-follow-up design. Out of 31 participants, 23 parents completed the
intervention (21 female; mean age 37 years; SD = 6.2 years, range 25 – 48
years). Psychological symptoms and quality of life were assessed online by
self-report measures at pre- and post-treatment and were followed up three
months later. Results On average, the caregivers’ symptoms of anxiety
decreased statistically significant and clinical relevant about five points
from an elevated (M = 11.4; SD =2.6) to a normal level (M = 6.7; SD = 2.6; p <
.001) between pre and post treatment. Fear of disease progression (p < .001)
and symptoms of depression (p = .02) significantly decreased as well. Quality
of life significantly improved (p = .01). The effects were maintained at the
3-months follow-up assessment. Conclusions WEP-CARE is feasible and promising
regarding its efficacy to improve parental mental health and quality of life
