Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 MA in Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
Abstract
Children’s behavioral problems influence their families considerably. Thus, the present study evaluates the effectiveness of the spillover intervention on the emotional processing and self-concealment of the mothers of children with externalized behavioral problems in Isfahan. The study is quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, and follow-up phases. Thirty mothers of children with externalized behavioral problems were selected by purposeful and convenience sampling and assigned into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent the spillover intervention in 8 90-minute sessions, and the control group received no treatment. The research instruments included Achenbach’s (2001) Child Behavior Checklist-Parent Form (for screening the sample group), Larsen and Chastain’s (1990) Self-Concealment Scale (SCS), and Baker’s (2010) Emotional Information Processing Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate ANCOVA tests run in the SPSS 26 software. The results revealed that spillover training positively and significantly impacted self-concealment (F = 12/902; P = 0/001) and emotional processing (F = 33/017; P = 0/001) at the significance level of 0/05 (α = 0/05). Besides, the results were constant in the follow-up phase (α = 0/05). According to the findings, spillover training has a significant effect on the self-concealment and emotional processing of mothers of children with externalized behavioral problems. Considering mothers are the main pillars in training their children, this outcome has some educational and psychological implications for the mothers of children with externalized behavioral problems.
Keywords: Spillover, Self-Concealment, Emotional Processing, Externalized Behavioral Problems.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Behavioral problems arise in situations where emotional and behavioral responses differ from cultural, age, and ethnic norms in school, negatively impacting academic performance, self-care, social relationships, personal adaptation, and adaptation in the workplace (Ghamarani and Lotfi, 2018). One type of behavioral problem is externalizing problems, which include behaviors that are externally observable and directed outside the child's existence, and are somewhat referred to as disruptive behavior (defiance, hyperactivity, inattention, and aggression) (Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001). The spillover theory, based on the family systems perspective, assumes that all family members are interdependent, and as a result, their experiences, emotions, values, and behaviors influence the interactions of other family members in a domain (Jensen et al., 2021). One of the influential factors in the type of response of parents with problematic children is emotions, which their involvement is evident in a wide range of psychological disorders such as anxiety disorders and depression (Altiere & von Kluge, 2009). Emotional processing using emotional processing strategies can be effective in increasing emotional skills to reduce emotional and psychological disturbances (Mohammadi Siyah Kamari et al., 2017). It seems that mothers with children with behavioral problems are weak in emotional processing and achieve lower grades. Anger, aggression, bullying, violence, and illegal and rule-breaking behaviors are manifestations of externalizing behavioral problems and are considered unacceptable by society, so mothers of this group of children are forced to use self-concealment mechanisms. According to the studies conducted, the family spillover approach has the potential to be taught to mothers with children with behavioral problems. Therefore, the issue of the present research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the spillover intervention on emotional processing and self-concealment of mothers with children with externalizing behavioral problems.
Research Questions
Is the spillover intervention effective in the emotional processing of mothers with children with externalizing behavioral problems?
Is the spillover intervention effective in the self-concealment of mothers with children with externalizing behavioral problems?
Literature Review
Based on previous studies, the negative spillover of marital conflicts is associated with strictness, incompatibility, relationship tension, and unhealthy parenting (Wormuth, Cummings, & Davies, 2020). Therefore, in studies related to family spillover, mothers have been the focus of researchers; self-efficacy and parenting style (Rahimi, Akrami, & Ghamarani, 2021), self-determination and parental management (Mansournia, Malekpour, & Ghamarani, 2021) are examples of these studies.
Methodology
This research was conducted as a semi-experimental study, including pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The statistical population in this study included all mothers with children with external behavioral problems studying in regular schools in Isfahan during the academic year 2021-2020. The diagnostic criterion for children's behavioral problems was the Achenbach Behavior Problems Questionnaire. Convenience and purposive sampling methods were used to select the sample from schools in District 3 of Isfahan. After identifying students with external behavioral problems, their mothers were invited to participate in the research, and 30 of them who met the inclusion criteria were selected as the sample. In the pre-test phase, dependent variables were evaluated. Then, the spillover intervention was implemented in the experimental group in 8 sessions of 90 minutes (two sessions per week) (Torkashvand & Ghamarani, in press). Then, in the post-test and follow-up phase, one month after the end of the intervention, both the experimental and control groups were evaluated in terms of dependent variables. In the next phase, the difference between the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up scores of the experimental and control groups was statistically tested to determine the effect of the independent variable.
Results
Table 1. Descriptive statistics of self-concealment and emotional processing in two groups
Variables
Experimental
Control
Test
N
M ± SD
M ± SD
self-concealment
Pre‑test
15
30.33±9.48
31.86±7.60
Post‑test
15
19.66±5.12
31.06±6.69
Follow-up
15
19.06±3.39
32.86±5.30
emotional suppression
Pre‑test
15
15.86±3.20
15.73±3.23
Post‑test
15
13.40±2.66
16.80±2.88
Follow-up
15
13.77±2.44
14.40±2.44
emotional processing signs
Pre‑test
15
13±3.20
11±1.64
Post‑test
15
18.20±2.54
12.66±2.28
Follow-up
15
15.40±3.26
12.93±1.62
emotional avoidance
Pre‑test
15
13.26±2.60
11.86±2.32
Post‑test
15
8.73±1.22
11.33±1.83
Follow-up
15
8.93±1.38
12.06±2.01
emotional control
Pre‑test
15
12.26±2.96
11.46±2.13
Post‑test
15
17.86±3.13
12.27±1.75
Follow-up
15
17.66±2.22
12.60±1.76
Unpleasant emotional experiences
Pre‑test
15
13.33±2.16
12.60±2.22
Post‑test
15
7.26±2.88
12.66±2.58
Follow-up
15
30.06±4.87
7.93±2.05
emotional processing
Pre‑test
15
64.93±11.42
58.40±6.85
Post‑test
15
91.40±11.06
61.40±4.54
Follow-up
15
85.06±10.27
62.53±5.34
Table 2.Results of one-way analysis of variance on the mean scores of post-test and follow-up on maternal self-concealment with pre-test control
stage
Sum of square
df
Mean square
F
Sig.
Effect Size
Test power
Post‑test
Pre‑test
17569.729
1
17569.729
371.888
0.001
0.810
1.00
Group
3546.944
1
3546.944
75.076
0.001
0.463
1.00
error
4110/289
57
47.245
Total
85803.000
60
Follow- up
Pre‑test
210.062
1
210.062
100.900
0.001
0.639
1.00
Group
881.771
1
881.771
70.173
0.001
0.722
1.00
error
331.279
57
12.566
Total
22140.000
60
Table 3. Covariance analysis of post-test and follow-up mean scores of self-concealment and emotional processing
Stage
Variables
Sum of square
df
Mean square
F
Sig.
Effect Size
Test power
Post‑test
emotional suppression
240.000
1
240.000
31.863
0.001
0.397
1.00
emotional processing signs
212.817
1
212.817
35.004
0.001
0.277
1.00
emotional avoidance
46.944
1
46.944
8.881
0.004
0.093
0.838
emotional control
328.711
1
328.711
45.166
0.001
0.342
1.00
Unpleasant emotional experiences
81.667
1
81.667
12.214
0.001
0.264
1.00
emotional processing
4507.331
1
4507.331
33.017
0.001
0.550
1.00
Follow- up
emotional suppression
81.667
1
81.667
13.083
0.001
0.187
0.945
emotional processing signs
70.417
1
70.417
10.867
0.002
0.160
0.900
emotional avoidance
64.067
1
64.067
11.013
0.002
0.162
0.904
emotional control
160.067
1
160.067
24.802
0.001
0.303
0.998
Unpleasant emotional experiences
106.667
1
70.417
15.228
0.001
0.211
0.970
emotional processing
2593.338
1
2593.338
48.967
0.001
0.645
1.00
Discussion and Conclusion (Times New Roman 12 bold)
The first finding of the research showed a significant difference in emotional processing between the experimental and control groups. In the intervention sessions, mothers were asked to describe their interactions with their children. Most mothers had difficulty in processing emotions in their interactions with their children, especially in dealing with negative emotions caused by their children's inappropriate behavior. Enrichment of family communication (spousal and parent-child relationships) and positive spillover caused mothers to process emotions more positively. Another finding of the research showed a significant decrease in self-concealment scores in the experimental group. In the intervention sessions, mothers were reminded of the role of empathy in family spillover to promote empathic spillover in the family. Since spouses spend a lot of time together, using empathic spillover techniques helps them become more aware of each other's emotional states, leading to more discussion about their problems and encouraging emotional expression, which ultimately reduces self-concealment. One of the research suggestions is to compare the effectiveness of other psychological interventions such as cognitive-behavioral interventions, mindfulness-based interventions, and compassion-based interventions with family spillover intervention to more accurately evaluate the direct effects of this new intervention.
Keywords
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