Jafar Mahmoodi; Iman Mesbah; Ali rezaeisharif
Abstract
Abstract
The current study has been conducted to get the amount of effectiveness of the compassion-based approach on alexithymia and the sense of coherence in mothers with intellectually disabled children. It has been in progress for two months with a semi-experimental design using pre-test and post-test, ...
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Abstract
The current study has been conducted to get the amount of effectiveness of the compassion-based approach on alexithymia and the sense of coherence in mothers with intellectually disabled children. It has been in progress for two months with a semi-experimental design using pre-test and post-test, accompanied by a control group. The whole population of the study involved 56 mothers having intellectually disabled children, who registered them in the Marand Well-being Organization Office from 2017 to 2022, of whom 30 had the required condition to get into the research. The study used a purposeful method for choosing the samples and put them randomly in two experimental and control groups. Compassion-based approach training was conducted in eight sessions for the experimental group while the control group received nothing. The data collected were analyzed and collected through alexithymia and the sense of coherence scales and were undergone the SPSS-22 software for the latter analysis and variance calculations. According to the results obtained compassion-based approach therapy for alexithymia and sense of coherence had a meaningful effect (p≤0/05). The follow-up stage has also demonstrated that the effect of compassion-based treatment on alexithymia and the sense of coherent sense of mothers with intellectually disabled children has been stable. Based on the results, psychology and counseling experts could use compassion-based training programs for alexithymia reduction and coherence sense enhancement of intellectually disabled children’s caregivers.
Keywords: Alexithymia, Compassion-Based Therapy, Intellectual Disability, Sense of Coherence.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Mental intellectual (intellectual developmental disorder) is a disorder that begins during the development period and includes a person's lack of adaptive functioning and intelligence in the practical, social, and conceptual domains (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). The presence of a mentally retarded child can cause a change in the mental health and dynamics of the family system (Bahadori Khosrowshahi and Habibi-Kaleiber, 2015). When parents find out about their child's disability, they experience various forms of stress and psychological pressure, social isolation, and mental health problems (Popa, 2020). In the meantime, mothers, in the position of the main caretaker of the child, bear the biggest burden of the problem (Milani Far, 1400, p. 184). As most of the caretaking time for the child and interacting with him is usually taken by the mother, and due to the intellectual disability of the child, it has many problems in the intelligence, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development field, there are major tensions in this regard directed at the mother (Gupta and Kaur, 2010).
One of the therapeutic interventions that seem to be effective in empowering mothers with mentally retarded children is self-compassion therapy (Rostampour-Brinjistanki, Abbasi, and Mirzaeian, 2019). Compassion therapy was founded by Gilbert (2005) as the main therapy and even complementary therapy (Lucre and Clapton, 2021). This treatment is a patient-centered behavior change strategy, and its purpose is to identify and reduce a person's doubts about changing their behavior, change in lifestyle and routine, and improve the person's perception of the importance of behavior change (Hacken and Taylor, 2021).
Research Question
Is compassion-based therapy effective in increasing the sense of coherence and reducing alexithymia of mothers with mentally retarded children?
Literature Review
The results of various studies show that compassion therapy increases self-coherence adaptability, reduces negative spontaneous thoughts (Ardashirzadeh, Bakhtiarpour, Homaei, Iftikhar Saadi, 2019), increases the sense of coherence (Ghaffari, Ismali, Atashgir, Hakim-abadi, 2017; Lloyd, 2017), improves the symptoms and quality of life (Nashi et al., 2019), reduces depression and anxiety (Safarinia, Mortezai Karhrodi, Alipur, 2022), increases the tolerance of distress and reduces of guilt in mothers with physically disabled children movement (Mahmoudpour, Dehghanpour, Ejadi and Mohammadi, 2021), improves of psychological flexibility in mothers with mentally retarded children (Rostampour Brijstanaki et al., 2016) and improves of alexithymia (Ahmadi Malairi, Rahmani, Pourasghar, 2021) Tajdin, Al-Yasin, Heydari, and Davoudi, 2019).
Methodology
The current research method was a semi-experimental pre-test post-test type with a control group with a 2-month follow-up. The statistical population of the present study was mothers with mentally disabled children who had a disability file for their children in Marand Welfare Department from 2017 to 2022 (N=56). In order to select the statistical sample of the research, by referring to the Marand Welfare Organization and using the purposeful sampling method, 30 mothers with mentally retarded children who have alexithymia (above 60) and sense of coherence (below 63) scales were selected and randomly replaced in the experimental and control groups.
Results
The results of multivariate tests showed that the interaction between time and group is significant for all variables. Therefore, compassion-based treatment training was effective on all variables and caused changes in alexithymia and sense of coherence (P<0.05). The obtained results showed that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the two variables of emotional ataxia and sense of coherence (P<0.001). In other words, the effect of compassion-based intervention on research variables is confirmed. Also, there is a significant difference between pre-test and follow-up scores in both variables (P<0.001). In other words, the effect of time is confirmed. Meanwhile, no significant difference was observed between the post-test and follow-up scores in the two variables of alexithymia and the sense of coherence (P<0.05).
Table 1. Benferoni test to investigate the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy for research variables over time
Comparison
Alexithymia
sense of coherence
Mean difference
standard error
Significance level
mean difference
standard error
Significance level
Pre-test post-test
16.24
1.82
0.001
8.51
1.37
0.001
Post-test follow-up
0.97
1.26
0.07
0.48
1.18
0.69
Pre-test follow-up
6.42
2.11
0.001
8.93
1.42
0.001
Discussion
The present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of the compassion-based approach on emotional ataxia and sense of coherence in mothers with intellectually disabled children. Based on the obtained results, compassion-based therapy reduced alexithymia in mothers with mentally retarded children, which is in agreement with the results of some studies (Ahmadi Malairi et al., 2021; Tajdin et al., 2019; Marsh, Chan, and McBeth, 2018; Kiel and Pidgon, 2017). Another finding of the research was that compassion-based therapy is effective in increasing the sense of coherence of mothers with mentally disabled children. The result obtained in accordance with the research results of Aghalar and Akrami (2021), Ardeshirzadeh et al. (2019), Narimani and Eyni (2019), Li, Liu, Han, Zhu, and Wang (2017), and Lloyd (2017).
Conclusion
The present study showed that the participants had clinically significant improvement in each scale and it seems that the intervention based on compassion was effective. The results of the follow-up test were not significantly different from the final test, and the therapeutic method based on compassion had a lasting effect on increasing the sense of coherence and reducing alexithymia.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all those who participated in this study.
Seyed mohsen Hojatkhah; Mohsen golmohammadian
Abstract
The aim of Present study was study the effectiveness of therapy based on acceptance and commitment on Resiliency mothers of children with mental retardation. Study type was semi experimental, pretest-posttest design with control group and the follow up. Population include all mothers of children with ...
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The aim of Present study was study the effectiveness of therapy based on acceptance and commitment on Resiliency mothers of children with mental retardation. Study type was semi experimental, pretest-posttest design with control group and the follow up. Population include all mothers of children with mental retardation whose children were studying at exceptional schools in Dezful city in the academic year of 2016-2017. . 30 Mother were chosen with Multi-step cluster sampling method and assigned into tow experimental and control groups randomly (each group n=15). The experimental group received group therapy in 10 sessions of 90 minutes (2 session weekly)and The control group did not receive group therapy. The Instruments was Friborg Revised Resiliencyscale (2003). data analyzed with analyze of variance. The results showed that there is significant differences in level Posttest and Follow up between experimental and control groups in Resiliency (p>0/001). According to research findings, group therapy based on acceptance and commitment is an effective method in increasing the resiliency in mothers with mental retardation children.
Abstract
The aim of Present study was study the effectiveness of therapy based on acceptance and commitment on social adjustment and internalized shame mothers of children with mental retardation. Study type was semi experimental, pre-posttest design with control group. Population include all mothers of children ...
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The aim of Present study was study the effectiveness of therapy based on acceptance and commitment on social adjustment and internalized shame mothers of children with mental retardation. Study type was semi experimental, pre-posttest design with control group. Population include all mothers of children with mental retardation of Andimeshk city in 2016. 30 students were chosen with cluster sampling method and assigned into tow experimental and control groups (each group n=15).experimental group received 10 sessions group therapy based on acceptance and commitment weekly (each session 90 minute duration). Instruments were bell social adjustment Inventory and Cook internalized shame scale. data analyzed with multiple analyze of covariance. Findings showed that there is significant differences between experimental and control groups in social adjustment and internalized shame (p>0/001). In whole findings indicated the role and importance group therapy based on acceptance and commitment on increasing social adjustment and decreasing internalized shame mothers of children with mental retardation.