فهرست مطالب fatemeh haji naghi tehrani

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of self-compassion training and acceptance and commitment-based therapy on the cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism.

This research was applied in terms of purpose and semi-experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group and a follow-up phase and the statistical population included mothers of children with autism in Dost Autism Institute in Tehran in 2019. 45 people from this community were selected as a sample group using voluntary and non-probability sampling methods and replaced by simple random in three groups of 15 people which included two experimental groups and one control group. The first group of the experiment received eight sessions of self-compassion training and the second group of the experiment received eight sessions of acceptance and commitment training. The duration of the sessions for both groups was 45 minutes weekly, and the control group was placed on the waiting list. The research tools were the cognitive flexibility questionnaire, acceptance and commitment protocol, and self-compassion protocol. The data were analyzed using the method of multivariate analysis of covariance and repeated measurement.

The results showed that self-compassion training and therapy based on acceptance and commitment were effective on the cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism. Therefore, teaching self-compassion and treatment based on acceptance and commitment can have useful results in improving the mental health of these mothers.

It is necessary to identify psychological treatment effective in improving the quality of life of mothers with autistic children, so the present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment on the quality of life and cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism.

The current research was a semi-experimental experiment with a pre-test-post-test and follow-up design with two experimental and control groups. The statistical population consisted of mothers of children with autism from Dost Autism Institute in Tehran in 2019, and the research sample was 30 mothers of this institution, who were selected through voluntary and non-probability sampling based on the entry criteria in the first step, and then as They were randomly replaced in two groups of 15 people, which included the experimental and control groups. Then they received eight training sessions of acceptance and commitment. The duration of the sessions was 45 minutes per week, but the control group was placed on the waiting list. The research tools were Hayes' Integrated Acceptance and Commitment Protocol, Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Denay and Vanderwaal's Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire.

The results of the research showed that treatment based on acceptance and commitment significantly increases the quality of life and cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism (P<0.001).

The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of treatment based on acceptance and commitment in increasing the quality of life of mothers of children with autism and providing new horizons in clinical interventions. Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be used as a complementary therapy by creating positive and appropriate changes in mothers of children with autism.