An Individually Randomized Control Study for Reduction of Stress in Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Impact of Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy

Abstract Currently, there is an increased prevalence of stress, child abuse, and adverse childhood experiences among children, especially Nigerian school children, which is related to mental health problems. This prevalence has left a significant proportion of school children vulnerable to insecurity and rape. This study evaluates the effect of Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy in reducing stress in children with irrational behaviours stemming from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It is a double-blinded and randomized study. A total of 104 schoolchildren in Enugu State, Nigeria, who met the inclusion criteria, participated in the study. The study utilized an individually randomised trial design. Three self-report measures were used for data collection: the Childhood Stress Scale (ESI) developed by Lipp & Lucarelli (2005) and the Adverse Childhood Experiences-Questionnaire (ACE-Q) developed by Felitti et al. (1998). The measures were administered before and after the treatment, with a follow-up conducted 2 weeks after the treatment. A Rational Emotive Family Health Program (REFHP) derived from the manual developed by Ede et al. (2020) was used as an intervention. Repeated measures with analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the effects of the intervention. The results indicated that Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy had a significant effect on stress and irrational beliefs scores of Nigerian school children with adverse childhood experiences compared to those in the active control group at Time 2. Furthermore, the effect of Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy on reducing stress in children with ACEs was significantly sustained at follow-up measurements (Time 3). In conclusion, this study suggests that Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy is an effective intervention for decreasing stress and irrational beliefs in children with adverse childhood experiences. Therefore, cognitive behavioral therapists can further explore the efficacy of Rational Emotive Family Health Therapy across various cultures.