Comparison of the Effectiveness of Combining Parent Management Training with Mindful Parenting and Acceptance and Commitment on Parenting Stress and Child Externalizing Problems

Nowadays, combined parenting programs that teach behavioral parenting skills and regulate parents' emotions by valuing parents' thoughts and feelings have proven more effective than non-combined programs; however, there is no evidence comparing the effectiveness of these combined programs. Thus, the current study compared the effects of a combined program of Parent Management Training (PMT) and mindful parenting with a combined program of PMT and parenting based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on parenting stress and a child's externalizing problems. The study employed a semi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up, as well as a control group. The current research population consisted of mothers of preschool-aged children in the city of Semnan in 2022; more specifically, 36 mothers with high parenting stress levels (as measured by Abidin's Parenting Stress Index – Short Form [PSI-SF]) and children with externalizing problems (as measured by the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory [ECBI]) were randomly assigned to one of three groups (two experimental groups and one control group). Each experimental group received eight two-hour sessions, once per week, of separate combination programs, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. Multivariate covariance analysis revealed that both combined programs significantly reduced parental stress and children's externalizing problems between the post-test and the three-month follow-up. However, no significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of the two programs in reducing parenting stress and child problems. Therefore, the combined program of parenting based on ACT and PMT with the combined program of mindful parenting training and PMT can be utilized to reduce parenting stress and child behavior problems.