The efficacy of acceptance and commitment based therapy on marital satisfaction and self-efficiency of mothers with children with cerebral palsy

Mothers of children with cerebral palsy are prone to social, economic, emotional and family pressures due to the presence of a child with cerebral palsy, which leads to a decrease in marital satisfaction and their perception of efficiency. Research has shown that acceptance and commitment therapy is a supportive approach that emphasizes the relationship and acceptance of individual and family values and uses awareness and acceptance along with commitment and behavior change strategies to increase psychological resilience that increases satisfaction. Couples and their self-efficacy, but there is a research gap in performing this intervention on mothers with children with cerebral palsy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy based on increasing marital satisfaction and self-efficacy of mothers with children with cerebral palsy.

The present study is an applied research in terms of purpose and quasi-experimental in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the present study included all mothers with children with cerebral palsy who referred to educational and rehabilitation centers for the physically disabled in Kermanshah in 1399. The sample consisted of 23 volunteer mothers who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental groups based on acceptance and commitment (n= 10) and a control group (n= 13). The experimental group received 12 sessions of 90-minute acceptance and commitment therapy according to Hayes (2008) approach once a week and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using Mixed analysis of variance.

The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that acceptance and commitment-based therapy is effective in increasing marital satisfaction and self-efficiency of mothers with children with cerebral palsy. (P≤0/001).

Based on the findings of this study, marital satisfaction and self-efficacy of mothers with children with cerebral palsy can be improved by using therapy based on acceptance and commitment.