Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy on the Quality of Life among Mothers with Autistic Children

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Zahra Zare bidaki ¹
• Mohammad mehdi Jahangiri ²

¹ Department of Psychology, Mahallat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahallat, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Mahallat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahallat, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the of acceptance commitment therapy on the quality of life among mothers with autistic children. This study was a quasi-experimental pretest - posttest with control group. The study population consisted of all mothers with autistic children in Qom city at 2017. Study sample consisted of 30 (15 for each group) mothers that were selected by as a voluntary and randomly assignment to two groups. experimental group and control group. Instrument for gathering data was WHO quality of life questionnaire. At the next stage, samples of the test group were exposed to 8 sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy while the control group did not receive any special treatment. Both study groups completed the questionnaire at the pretest and posttest stage. The data were analyzed using SPSS.v21 software and statistical tests such as MANCOVA. Based on study findings, the acceptance commitment therapy had a significant impact on quality of life. (P<0/01). It seems that acceptance commitment therapy is an applicable treatment intervention for mental health of mothers with autistic children.

Keywords

• Acceptance Commitment Therapy
• Quality of life
• Autism

20.1001.1.20088566.1398.10.37.2.1

---

References

-        American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.

-        Batink, Tim, Bakker, Jindra, Vaessen, Thomas, Kasanova, Zuzana, Collip, Dina, van Os, Jim, . . . Peeters, Frenk. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy in daily life training: a feasibility study of an mHealth intervention. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 4(3).

-        Behrouz, B, Bavali, F, Heidarizadeh, N, & Farhadi, M. (2016). The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Symptoms, Coping Styles, and Quality of Life in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes. [Research]. journal of health, 7(2), 236-253.

-        Blackledge, John T, & Hayes, Steven C. (2001). Emotion regulation in acceptance and commitment therapy. Journal of clinical psychology, 57(2), 243-255.

-        Blackledge, John T., & Hayes, Steven C. (2006). Using Acceptance and Commitment Training in the Support of Parents of Children Diagnosed with Autism. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 28(1), 1-18. doi: 10.1300/J019v28n01_01

-        Burke, Kylie, Muscara, Frank, McCarthy, Maria, Dimovski, Anica, Hearps, Stephen, Anderson, Vicki, & Walser, Robyn. (2014). Adapting acceptance and commitment therapy for parents of children with life-threatening illness: Pilot study. Families, Systems, & Health, 32(1), 122.

-        Cullen, Chris. (2008). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): A third wave behaviour therapy. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36(6), 667-673.

-        Eifert, Georg H, Forsyth, John P, Arch, Joanna, Espejo, Emmanuel, Keller, Melody, & Langer, David. (2009). Acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety disorders: Three case studies exemplifying a unified treatment protocol. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 16(4), 368-385.

-        Estes, Annette, Munson, Jeffrey, Dawson, Geraldine, Koehler, Elizabeth, Zhou, Xiao-Hua, & Abbott, Robert. (2009). Parenting stress and psychological functioning among mothers of preschool children with autism and developmental delay. Autism, 13(4), 375-387.

-        Falk, Nicholas Henry, Norris, Kimberley, & Quinn, Michael G. (2014). The factors predicting stress, anxiety and depression in the parents of children with autism. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 44(12), 3185-3203.

-        Fashler, Samantha R, Weinrib, Aliza Z, Azam, Muhammad Abid, & Katz, Joel. (2018). The Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Oncology Settings: A Narrative Review. Psychological reports, 121(2), 229-252.

-        Felce, David, & Perry, Jonathan. (1995). Quality of life: Its definition and measurement. Research in developmental disabilities, 16(1), 51-74.

-        Harris, Russ. (2009). ACT made simple: An easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy: New Harbinger Publications.

-        Hayes-Skelton, Sarah A, Orsillo, Susan M, & Roemer, Lizabeth. (2013). An acceptance-based behavioral therapy for individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 20(3), 264-281.

-        Hayes, Steven C, Levin, Michael E, Plumb-Vilardaga, Jennifer, Villatte, Jennifer L, & Pistorello, Jacqueline. (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.

-        Hayes, Steven C, Masuda, Akihiko, Bissett, Richard, Luoma, Jason, & Guerrero, L Fernando. (2004). DBT, FAP, and ACT: How empirically oriented are the new behavior therapy technologies? Behavior Therapy, 35(1), 35-54.

-        Hsiao, Yun-Ju. (2016). Pathways to mental health-related quality of life for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Roles of parental stress, children’s performance, medical support, and neighbor support. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 23, 122-130.

-        Kim, Irang, Ekas, Naomi V, & Hock, Robert. (2016). Associations between child behavior problems, family management, and depressive symptoms for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 26, 80-90.

-        Kuhlthau, Karen, Payakachat, Nalin, Delahaye, Jennifer, Hurson, Jill, Pyne, Jeffrey M, Kovacs, Erica, & Tilford, J Mick. (2014). Quality of life for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 8(10), 1339-1350.

-        Mohammadi, Reza, Dowran, Behnaz, Rabie, Mahdi, & Salimi, Seyed Hossein. (2017). The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Quality of Life among Military Student. [Descriptive & Survey]. Journal of Police Medicine, 6(1), 21-30.

-        Montgomery, Dawn. (2015). The Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Parents of Children Diagnosed with Autism.

-        NARIMANI, M, POURABDOL, S, & BASHARPOOR, S. (2016). The effectiveness of acceptance/commitment training to decrease social anxiety in students with specific learning disorder.

-        Narimani, Mohammad, Abbasi, Moslem, Bagyan, Mohammad Javad, & Bakhti, Mojtaba. (2014). Comparison of Two Approaches based on Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) and a Modified Version of Group Therapy on Early Maladaptive Schemas in Clients in Divorce. Family Counseling and Psychotherapy, 4(1), 1-29.

-        Nikpour, M, Abedian, Z, Mokhber, N, Ebrahimzadeh, S, & Khani, S. (2011). Comparison of quality of life in women after vaginal delivery and cesarean section.

-        Ogston, Paula L, Mackintosh, Virginia H, & Myers, Barbara J. (2011). Hope and worry in mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder or Down syndrome. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5(4), 1378-1384.

-        Ooi, Khim Lynn, Ong, Yin Sin, Jacob, Sabrina Anne, & Khan, Tahir Mehmood. (2016). A meta-synthesis on parenting a child with autism. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 12, 745-762. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S100634

-        Peterson, Brennan D, & Eifert, Georg H. (2011). Using acceptance and commitment therapy to treat infertility stress. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18(4), 577-587.

-        Rajabi, S, & Yazdkhasti, F. (2014). The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy on Anxiety and Depression in Women with MS Who Were Referred to the MS Association. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1(21), 29-39.

-        Rao, Patricia A, & Beidel, Deborah C. (2009). The impact of children with high-functioning autism on parental stress, sibling adjustment, and family functioning. Behavior modification, 33(4), 437-451.

-        Sperry, Steffanie, Knox, Brian, Edwards, Denise, Friedman, Andrea, Rodriguez, Mario, Kaly, Perry, . . . Shaffer-Hudkins, Emily. (2014). Cultivating Healthy Eating, Exercise, and Relaxation (CHEER) A Case Study of a Family-Centered and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Obese Adolescents at Risk for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. Clinical Case Studies, 13(3), 218-230.

-        Stein, Leah I, Foran, Amanda C, & Cermak, Sharon. (2011). Occupational patterns of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Revisiting Matuska and Christiansen's model of lifestyle balance. Journal of Occupational Science, 18(2), 115-130.

-        Taghizadeh, Hossein, & Asadi, Razieh. (2014). Comparative analysis of Quality Of Life in Mothers of Children with Mental Disability and Mothers of Normal Children. [Original Research Article]. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies, 4(2), 66-74.

-        Totsika, Vasiliki, Hastings, Richard P, Emerson, Eric, Lancaster, Gillian A, & Berridge, Damon M. (2011). A population‐based investigation of behavioural and emotional problems and maternal mental health: Associations with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(1), 91-99.

-        Weitlauf, Amy S, Vehorn, Alison C, Taylor, Julie L, & Warren, Zachary E. (2014). Relationship satisfaction, parenting stress, and depression in mothers of children with autism. Autism, 18(2), 194-198.

-        Whittingham, Koa, Sheffield, Jeanie, & Boyd, Roslyn N. (2016). Parenting acceptance and commitment therapy: a randomised controlled trial of an innovative online course for families of children with cerebral palsy. BMJ Open, 6(10), e012807. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012807

-        Zablotsky, Benjamin, Anderson, Connie, & Law, Paul. (2013). The association between child autism symptomatology, maternal quality of life, and risk for depression. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 43(8), 1946-1955.