The effectiveness of parenting education based on acceptance and commitment on self-efficacy and parent-child relationship in young mothers

Using the right parenting method is related to the growth and mental health of mothers and their children. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of parenting education based on acceptance and commitment on parenting self-efficacy and parent-child relationship in young mothers.

It was quasi-experimental research with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The research population consisted of mothers with children in Ahvaz (Iran) in 2023, of which 30 people were selected with the conditions of entering the research by available sampling method, and 15 people were placed in the test and control group by simple random method. The studied mothers were evaluated with demographics, Domka self-efficacy questionnaire (PSAM), and the parent-child relationship scale (CPRS). The test group underwent the intervention of 8 sessions of 75-minute parenting training on acceptance and commitment, and the control group remained on the waiting list. The data were analyzed using single and multivariate covariance analysis in SPSS-23 software.

The results showed that parenting education based on acceptance and commitment has a significant effect on increasing the average score of parenting self-efficacy and the parent-child relationship of the studied mothers (P<0.001). The largest effect size was related to parent-child relationship (0.71) and parenting self-efficacy (0.40).

Parenting education based on acceptance and commitment led to an increase in parenting self-efficacy and improved parent-child relationships in young mothers. Therefore, the use of this simple, useful, and low-cost method is recommended by mental health specialists in young mothers with children.