Autism disorder, due to the problems it causes in the development of communication, emotional, interactive, verbal and cognitive skills of affected individuals, involves almost all family members, especially mothers, in the problems caused by this disorder. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of communication skills training on social adjustment and quality of life of mothers with autistic children. The research method was an experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the study included all mothers with autistic children in Ardabil city in 2024, from which 30 people were selected according to the study entry criteria and through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (15 people) and the control group (15 people). The experimental group received 8 sessions of 75 minutes of the communication skills training program of McKay et al (2009) and the control group continued their normal routine. Bell's (1961) Social Adjustment Questionnaire and Skevington et al (2004) Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the mean social adjustment (P<0.001, F=57.40, ηp2=0.688) and quality of life (P<0.001, F=89.58, ηp2=0.775) of mothers in the experimental and control groups in the post-test. Thus, after implementing the communication skills training program, the mean scores social adjustment and quality of life of mothers in the experimental group increased significantly compared to the control group. Therefore, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder can improve their adjustment with the help of communication skills and their quality of life will increase.
Keywords: Communication Skills Training, Social Adjustment, Quality of Life, Mothers of Children with Autism.
 
 
 
Extended Abstract

Introduction

The existence of an exceptional child has a profound impact on the parenting style of parents, and these unpleasant effects, if not resolved in a logical and remedial manner, cause irreparable harm to the mental health of parents and other members of families with an exceptional child (Aghaziarati et al., 2022). A child with autism spectrum disorder can be a threat to the mother's mental and physical health and her adjustment, and in most cases, the existence of such a child has negative effects on the mother's life (Patel et al., 2022), because raising an autistic child is a difficult experience.
One of the variables that mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty with compared to normal mothers is social adjustment (Lashari et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2018). Social adjustment for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder is presented in the form of communicating, solving problems, making decisions, and managing their behavior. Mothers of autistic children in their daily activities and relationships have social problems and have a low quality of life (Bazarfeshan et al., 2019).
Quality of life for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder, like others, can be related to the level of satisfaction that the person has with their life with their autistic child and family members. For mothers, this satisfaction depends on social connections, the ability to participate in various family activities with the autistic child and the community, and freedom of choice.
Considering the types of problems and issues that affect children with autism spectrum disorder and their families, one of the interventions that can be effective in this regard is communication skills training. Communication skills are skills through which people are able to participate in interpersonal interactions and the communication process; this means the process through which people share their information, thoughts, and feelings through verbal and non-verbal exchange. (Bavazin et al., 2018). Therefore, paying attention to communication skills training to strengthen the communication capabilities of autistic children and their mothers could be another necessity of this research. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the question of whether communication skills training is effective on social adjustment and quality of life of mothers with autistic children?

Methodology

The research method was an experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the study included all mothers with autistic children in Ardabil city in 2024, from which 30 people were selected according to the study entry criteria and through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (15 people) and the control group (15 people). The experimental group received 8 sessions of 75 minutes of the communication skills training program of McKay et al (2009) and the control group continued their normal routine. Bell's (1961) Social Adjustment Questionnaire and Skevington et al (2004) Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

Results

As shown in Table 1, after adjusting for pre-test scores, there is a statistically significant difference between the mean post-test scores of the experimental and control groups in the variables of social adjustment (P<0.001, F=57.40, ηp2=0.688) and quality of life (P<0.001, F=89.58, ηp2=0.775). Therefore, the research hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of communication skills training in increasing social adjustment and quality of life of mothers with autistic children are confirmed in the post-test, which indicates the effectiveness of this intervention.
Table 1. Results of analysis of covariance to examine the effectiveness of the intervention on research variables




Source


Variable


SS


Df


MS


F


Sig


Eta






Pre-Test


Social adjustment


161.34


1


161.34


48.51


0.001


0.651




Quality of life


74.38


1


74.38


29.59


0.001


0.532




Group


Social adjustment


190.91


1


190.91


57.40


0.001


0.688




Quality of life


225.18


1


225.18


89.58


0.001


0.775




Error


Social adjustment


86.46


26


3.32


-


-


-




Quality of life


65.36


26


2.51


-


-


-





Discussion and Conclusion

The findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the adjusted means of mothers in the experimental and control groups in terms of social adjustment at the post-test. Thus, communication skills training significantly increased the social adjustment of mothers with autistic children in the experimental group. In explaining these findings, it can be stated that the birth of a child with autism spectrum disorder places a high amount of responsibility on the shoulders of parents of this group of children, especially mothers, and limits their opportunities for social interaction and presence (Jamali et al., 2023). Teaching appropriate and efficient communication skills can significantly help parents protect themselves and their children in dealing with social harm and achieving their goals. Therefore, examining these adaptations and coherences with a holistic and integrated approach can be effective in assessment and treatment to better diagnose problems related to the child in the family and, through this, significantly contribute to improving the individual and social adaptation of the mother-child (Mikaeili et al., 2023).
Another finding of the study showed that there was a significant difference between the adjusted means of mothers in the experimental and control groups in terms of quality of life in the post-test. Thus, communication skills training significantly increased the quality of life of mothers with autistic children in the experimental group. In explaining these findings, it can be stated that the existence of a child with autism has a significant impact on the beliefs, thoughts, and feelings of the parents of these children, to the extent that the mothers of these children experience various feelings, including confusion, bitterness, denial, depression, and hopelessness, among many other negative emotions. Families with children with autism spectrum disorder experience disintegration in daily life more than other families with disabled children, and as a result, their quality of family life decreases (Akafi broujeny et al., 2023).
Among the effective interventions in improving the quality of life and general health of mothers is communication skills. Teaching communication skills helps mothers to adapt to their different circumstances in an appropriate way and achieve a relatively adequate level of quality of life (Bamdad et al., 2024). These skills empower mothers to accept their communication responsibilities and effectively deal with the needs, expectations, and everyday problems of their children in an efficient manner.
Acknowledgments
This article is based on a research project conducted by the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili under the ethical code IR.UMA.REC.1403.038. We would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who helped us to carry out this research as well as possible.