Comparing the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment in group and individual ways on increasing the value of life and psychological flexibility of mothers of students with special needs

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD in psychology, Farhangian University lecturer, Kermanshah

2 Rehabilitation counseling specialist, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

3 M.A, family counseling, University of Tehran, Iran

4 Senior expert in clinical psychology, psychologist at the Rehabilitation Center for Physically Disabled People of Iran Zemin, Kermanshah, Iran

5 Educational Counselor, Education Department, Bistoon District, Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: The mental health of mothers of children with special needs has emerged as a significant area of concern in psychology and special education. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of group and individual ACT on improving valued living and psychological flexibility among mothers of children with special needs.
Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test design with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The population consisted of mothers of children with special needs in Kermanshah, Iran. A sample of 45 eligible mothers was selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: group ACT (n=15), individual ACT (n=15), and a control group (n=15). The intervention consisted of eight weekly 75-minute sessions. Data were collected using the Valuing Questionnaire (2003) and the Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010). The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANCOVA with SPSS version 26.
Findings: The results indicated that both group and individual ACT were significantly effective in improving valued living and psychological flexibility (p <0.001). However, the group therapy format demonstrated a greater impact on valued living compared to the individual format. Conversely, no significant difference was found between the two therapeutic modalities in terms of their effect on psychological flexibility.
Conclusion: Both individual and group formats of ACT are effective in enhancing the valued living and psychological flexibility of mothers of children with special needs. The superior effect of the group format on valued living may be attributed to the inherent social support and positive interactions within the group setting.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

A-tjak, J. G., Davis, M. L., Morina, N., Powers, M. B., Smits, J. A., & Emmelkamp, P. M. (2015). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for clinically relevant mental and physical health problems. In (Vol. 84, pp. 30-36): S. Karger AG Basel, Switzerland. DOI: 10.1159/000365764
Asa, G. A., Fauk, N. K., Ward, P. R., Hawke, K., Crutzen, R., & Mwanri, L. (2021). Psychological, sociocultural and economic coping strategies of mothers or female caregivers of children with a disability in Belu district, Indonesia. PloS one, 16(5), e0251274. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251274
Barida, M., & Widyastuti, D. A. (2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to improve educators self-acceptance of children with special needs. KONSELI: Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling (E-Journal), 6(2), 117-124. DOI: 10.24042/kons.v6i2.4701
Battista, J., & Almond, R. (1973). The development of meaning in life. Psychiatry, 36(4), 409-427. DOI: 10.1080/00332747.1973.11023774
Benoy, C., Knitter, B., Schumann, I., Bader, K., Walter, M., & Gloster, A. T. (2019). Treatment sensitivity: Its importance in the measurement of psychological flexibility. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13, 121-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.07.005
Branstetter, A., Wilson, K., Hildebrandt, M., & Mutch, D. (2004). Improving psychological adjustment among cancer patients: ACT and CBT. Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New Orleans, 35, 732.
Brassell, A. A., Rosenberg, E., Parent, J., Rough, J. N., Fondacaro, K., & Seehuus, M. (2016). Parent's psychological flexibility: Associations with parenting and child psychosocial well-being. Journal of contextual behavioral science, 5(2), 111-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2016.03.001
Cheron, D. M., Ehrenreich, J. T., & Pincus, D. B. (2009). Assessment of parental experiential avoidance in a clinical sample of children with anxiety disorders. Child psychiatry and human development, 40, 383-403. DOI: 10.1007/s10578-009-0135-z
Daks, J. S., Peltz, J. S., & Rogge, R. D. (2022). The impact of psychological flexibility on family dynamics amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal perspective. Journal of contextual behavioral science, 26, 97-113. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.08.011
Dennis, J. P., & Vander Wal, J. S. (2010). The cognitive flexibility inventory: Instrument development and estimates of reliability and validity. Cognitive therapy and research, 34, 241-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9276-4
Feldman, D. B., & Snyder, C. R. (2005). Hope and the meaningful life: Theoretical and empirical associations between goal–directed thinking and life meaning. Journal of social and clinical psychology, 24(3), 401-421. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.24.3.401.65616
Hayes, S. C., Levin, M. E., Plumb-Vilardaga, J., Villatte, J. L., & Pistorello, J. (2013). Acceptance and commitment therapy and contextual behavioral science: Examining the progress of a distinctive model of behavioral and cognitive therapy. Behavior therapy, 44(2), 180-198. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2009.08.002
Hayes, S. C., & Pierson, H. (2005). Acceptance and commitment therapy. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/0-306-48581-8_1
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. DOI: 10.1177/0011000012460836
Inozu, M., Gök, B. G., Tuzun, D., & Haciomeroglu, A. B. (2023). Does cognitive flexibility change the nature of the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey? Current Psychology, 42(20), 17412-17423. DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02450-8
Mohamadpour, F., Aflakseir, A., Mohamadi, N., & Hadianfard, H. (2021). Analysis of components of meaning of life in elderly. Positive Psychology Research, 7(1), 1-18. DOI: 10.1177/0969 (In Persian).
Nikrah, N., Bahari, F., & Shiri, A. (2023). Effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy on resilience and quality of life in patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Applied Nursing Research, 73, 151723. DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2023.151723
Powers, M. B., Zum Vörde Sive Vörding, M. B., & Emmelkamp, P. M. (2009). Acceptance and commitment therapy: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 78(2), 73-80.. DOI: 10.1159/000190790
Rasheed, A. (2022). Hope, quality of life, and self-efficacy among mothers with special needs children. INSPIRA: Indonesian Journal of Psychological Research, 3(1), 1-7. DOI: 10.32505/inspira.v3i1.3850
Russell, L. T., Ganong, L., & Beckmeyer, J. J. (2022). Understanding and serving all families: Introduction to the special issue on supporting structurally diverse families. Journal of family nursing, 28(4), 299-307. DOI: 10.1177/10748407221131118
Sanayeh, M., Nourian, M., Tajalli, S., Fomani, F. K., Heidari, A., & Nasiri, M. (2021). Resilience and associated factors in mothers of children with congenital heart disease: a cross-sectional study. International journal of community based nursing and midwifery, 9(4), 336. DOI: 10.30476/ijcbnm.2021.89691.1630
Soltani, E., Shareh, H., Bahrainian, S. A., & Farmani, A. (2013). The mediating role of cognitive flexibility in correlation of coping styles and resilience with depression. Pajoohandeh Journal, 18(2), 88-96. (In Persian).
Sterman, J., & Merighi, J. (2024). “It’s been a hard year”: How families who have children with disabilities and chronic health conditions experience the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and Youth Services Review, 164, 107858. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107858
Strosahl, K. D., Robinson, P. J., Blackledge, J., Ciarrochi, J., & Deane, F. (2009). Teaching ACT: To whom, why and how. In Acceptance and commitment therapy: Contemporary theory, research and practice (pp. 59-85). Australian Academic Press Bowen Hills, Qld.
Tavakoli Saleh, S., & Ebrahimi, M. E. (2021). Effectivenes of acceptance-commitment therapy on the resillience and psycological well-being of female patients with multiple sclerosis in Hamadan, Iran. Avicenna Journal of Clinical Medicine, 28(2), 126-133. DOI: 10.52547/ajcm.28.2.126 (In Persian).

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 20 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 08 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 13 June 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 May 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics