The Effectiveness of Group Counseling based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Stress and Psychological Hardiness in Mothers of Children with Profound and Multiple Disabilities

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, psychology and Educational Science Faculty, University of Kharazmi, Alborz, Iran

2 Department of Counseling and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kharazmi University, Alborz , Iran

3 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kharazmi, Alborz, Iran

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of group counseling based on acceptance and commitment therapy on marital stress and psychological resilience in mothers of children with severe and multiple disabilities. This applied research was part of a semi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test design and a follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all mothers of children with severe and multiple disabilities who were present in the association for resuscitation in 2020-2021 and comprised 50 subjects. Using the method of available and voluntary samples, 24 people were selected and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of group counseling, whereas the control group was placed on the waiting list for ethical reasons. The Stockholm Marital Stress Scale (SMSS) and the Long and Goulet Psychological Hardiness (LGHS) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance with repeated measures using SPSS-25 statistical software. The results showed that group counseling based on acceptance and commitment therapy led to a significant decrease in marital stress and a significant increase in psychological hardiness in the experimental group. These results remained stable during the one-month follow-up period. Thus, it can be said that this intervention improves marital stress and psychological resilience in mothers of severely and multiply disabled children. Based on the results of this study, group counseling based on acceptance and commitment therapy can be used to improve marital stress and psychological resilience of mothers of children with severe and multiple disabilities.

Keywords

References

پیرمردوند چگینی، ب.، زهراکار، ک.، و ثنایی‌ذاکر، ب. (1397). اثربخشی آموزش مبتنی بر درمان عقلانی-هیجانی-رفتاری بر استرس زناشویی زوجین مبتلا به سرطان پستان. فصلنامۀ بیماری‌های پستان ایران. 11(4)، 38-28.
روشن، ر.، و شاکری، ر. (1389). بررسی اعتبار و پایایی مقیاسی برای سنجش سرسختی روان‌شناختی دانشجویان. دوماهنامۀ علمی-پژوهشی دانشور رفتار. روان‌شناسی بالینی و شخصیت، دانشگاه شاهد. 40(8)، 53-35.
زرین­فر، ا.، بلوطی، ع.، و میرزاوندی، ج. (1398). تأثیر آموزش مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد بر انعطاف‌پذیری، استرس ادراک‌شده و تاب‌آوری کارکنان زن بیمارستان. نشریۀ پژوهش توان‌بخشی در بیمارستان. 5(4)، 33-26.
ظهورپرونده، و.، و پاسبان، س. (1398). رابطۀ حمایت اجتماعی و تاب‌آوری با اضطراب اجتماعی و درماندگی روان‌شناختی مادران کودکان استثنایی. فصلنامۀ خانواده‌پژوهی. 15(2)، 301-283.
عباسی اصل، م.، رحمتی نجارکلائی، ف.، و دوران، ب. (1399). مقایسۀ اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد و درمان شناختی رفتاری بر سرسختی روان­شناختی، رفتار مراقبتی و سبک‌های مقابله‌ای در بیماران مبتلا به دیابت نوع 2. مجلۀ طب نظامی. 22(10)، 1083-1073.
ملکشاهی، ف.، و فلاحی، ش. (1395). مشکلات روانی اجتماعی والدین کودکان معلول ذهنی تحت پوشش مرکز بهزیستی خرم‌آباد 1392. فصلنامۀ علمی-پژوهشی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی لرستان. 18(3)، 51-42.
نیک‌رخ، م.، و زهراکار، ک. (1394). بررسی تأثیر آموزش تلقیح استرس بر کاهش استرس زناشویی در زنان. خانواده‌پژوهی. 11(43)، 365-353.
ولیئی، ز.، و امانی، ا. (1399). اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد بر رابطۀ والد-فرزندی، استرس والدگری و سخت‌رویی مادران دارای فرزند با اختلال کم‌توجهی/بیش‌فعالی. روان‌شناسی افراد استثنایی. 10(38)، 230-207.
Ault, M. J., Collins, B. C., & Carter, E. W. (2013). Congregational participation and supports for children and adults with disabilities: Parent perceptions. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(1), 48-61.
Arim, R. G., Miller, A. R., Kohen, D. E., Guèvremont, A., Lach, L. M., & Brehaut, J. C. (2019). Changes in the health of mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities: An administrative data study. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 86, 76-86.‏
Braekkan, K. C. (2007). An acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: Preliminary outcomes of a controlled group comparison. PhD Dissertation. Faculty of Psychology, Spalding University, USA.‏
Burke, K., Muscara, F., McCarthy, M., Dimovski, A., Hearps, S., Anderson, V., & Walser, R. (2014). Adapting acceptance and commitment therapy for parents of children with life-threatening illness: Pilot study. Families, Systems, & Health, 32(1), 122–127.
Blackledge, J. T., & Hayes, S. C. (2006). Using acceptance and commitment training in the support of parents of children diagnosed with autism. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 28(1), 1–18.
Daks, J. S., Peltz, J. S., & Rogge, R. D. (2020). Psychological flexibility and inflexibility as sources of resiliency and risk during a pandemic: Modeling the cascade of COVID-19 stress on family systems with a contextual behavioral science lens. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18, 16-27.‏
Elam, K. K., Chassin, L., Eisenberg, N., & Spinrad, T. L. (2017). Marital stress and children's externalizing behavior as predictors of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting. Development and Psychopathology, 29(4), 1305-1318.‏
Gould, E. R. (2016). Evaluating the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training on the behavior of parents of children with autism. Doctoral dissertation. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.‏
Gallagher, S., & Whiteley, J. (2012). Social support is associated with blood pressure responses in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 33(6), 2099-2105.
Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., & Levin, M. E. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behavior change. The Counseling Psychologist, 40(7), 976-1002.
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.‏
Jansen, S. L., van der Putten, A. A., Post, W. J., & Vlaskamp, C. (2018). Do they agree? How parents and professionals perceive the support provided to persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 43(4), 441-452.‏
Jaremka, L. M., Lindgren, M. E., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2013). Synergistic relationships among stress, depression, and troubled relationships: Insights from psychoneuroimmunology. Depression and Anxiety, 30(4), 288–296.
Kowalski, C. M., & Schermer, J. A. (2019). Hardiness, perseverative cognition, anxiety, and health-related outcomes: a case for and against psychological hardiness. Psychological Reports, 122(6), 2096-2118.
Katsiotas, N. J. (2016). The relationship between social support and well-being of parents of children with special needs. PhD Dissertation. Faculty of Psychology, Fordham University, USA.‏
Kowalkowski, J. D. (2012). The impact of a group-based acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder‏. Ph.D. Dissertation. Faculty of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, USA.
Lang, A., Goulet, C., & Amsel, R. (2003). Lang and Goulet hardiness scale: Development and testing on bereaved parents following the death of their fetus/infant. Death Studies, 27(10), 851-880.‏
Lee, M. H., Matthews, A. K., & Park, C. (2019). Determinants of health-related quality of life among mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Journal of Pediatric nursing, 44, 1-8.‏
Lee, J. (2014). A phenomenological study of the interpersonal relationships between five music therapists and adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, 9, 43-86.‏
Lapate, R. C., Van Reekum, C. M., Schaefer, S. M., Greischar, L. L., Norris, C. J., Bachhuber, D. R., ... & Davidson, R. J. (2014). Prolonged marital stress is associated with short‐lived responses to positive stimuli. Psychophysiology, 51(6), 499-509.‏
Levin, M. E., Hildebrandt, M. J., Lillis, J., & Hayes, S. C. (2012). The impact of treatment components suggested by the psychological flexibility model: A meta-analysis of laboratory-based component studies. Behavior Therapy, 43(4), 741-756.‏
Motamedi, H., Samavi, A., & Fallahchai, R. (2020). Comparison of the effectiveness of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy and group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological hardiness of headed family women. Journal of Research and Health, 10(6), 393-402.‏
Orth-Gomer, K., Wamala, S. P., Horsten, M., Schenck-Gustafsson, K., Schneiderman, N., & Mittleman, M. A. (2000). Marital stress worsens prognosis in women with coronary heart disease: The Stockholm female coronary risk study. Jama, 284(23), 3008-3014.‏
Rayan, A., & Ahmad, M. (2018). Mindfulness and parenting distress among parents of children with disabilities: A literature review. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 54(2), 324-330.‏
Ryan, C., & Quinlan, E. (2018). Whoever shouts the loudest: Listening to parents of children with disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 31(2), 203-214.‏
Rudaz, M., Twohig, M. P., Ong, C. W., & Levin, M. E. (2017). Mindfulness and acceptance-based trainings for fostering self-care and reducing stress in mental health professionals: A systematic review. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 6(4), 380-390.‏
Salim, J., Wadey, R., & Diss, C. (2015). Examining the relationship between hardiness and perceived stress-related growth in a sport injury context. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 19, 10–17.
Sandvik, A. M., Hansen, A. L., Hystad, S. W., Johnsen, B. H., & Bartone, P. T. (2015). Psychopathy, anxiety, and resiliency–psychological hardiness as a mediator of the psychopathy–anxiety relationship in a prison setting. Personality and Individual Differences, 72, 30-34.‏
Sairanen, E., Lappalainen, R., Lappalainen, P., Kaipainen, K., Carlstedt, F., Anclair, M., & Hiltunen, A. (2019). Effectiveness of a web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention for wellbeing of parents whose children have chronic conditions: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13(2), 94–102.
Vagni, M., Maiorano, T., Giostra, V., & Pajardi, D. (2020). Hardiness, stress and secondary trauma in Italian healthcare and emergency workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 12(14), 2-16.‏
‏Van der Mark, E. J., Conradie, I., Dedding, C. W. M., & Broerse, J. E. W. (2019). Exploring adaptation and agency of mothers caring for disabled children in an urban settlement in South Africa: A qualitative study. Women’s Studies International Forum, 76, 3-9.
Vaez, E., & Juhari, R. (2017). Stress and marital satisfaction of married Middle Eastern students in Malaysia. The Family Journal, 25(2), 146-155.‏
Wynne, B., McHugh, L., Gao, W., Keegan, D., Byrne, K., Rowan, C., & Dooley, B. (2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy reduces psychological stress in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Gastroenterology, 156(4), 935-945.‏
Wetherell, J. L., Afari, N., Rutledge, T., Sorrell, J. T., Stoddard, J. A., Petkus, A. J., & Atkinson, J. H. (2011). A randomized, controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain. Pain, 152(9), 2098-2107.‏
Yafanga, X., Xiaoxiab, S., Xiaoyana, L., Mingjiea, Z., Wentinga, W., Dingc, D., Chaoc, Q., Hong, J. (2019) The mediating effect of health-related hardiness on the degree of physical disability and perceived stress in Chinese female patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 35, 67-72.‏
Journal of Applied Psychological Research
Volume 13, Issue 2
2022
Pages 141-155

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 May 2021
  • Revise Date: 12 July 2021
  • Accept Date: 31 July 2021
  • First Publish Date: 23 August 2022
  • Publish Date: 23 August 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics