The effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral training on reducing psychological problems and irrational beliefs of mothers of children with intellectual disability

Poorseyed, Seyed Reza; Aghaei, Elahe; Poorseyed, Seyed Mehdi

Volume 7 - MEJDS (2017) 7: 95 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 20.1001.1.23222840.1396.7.0.98.6

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Poorseyed S R, Aghaei E, Poorseyed S M. The effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral training on reducing psychological problems and irrational beliefs of mothers of children with intellectual disability. MEJDS 2017; 7 :95-95
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-832-en.html

The effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral training on reducing psychological problems and irrational beliefs of mothers of children with intellectual disability

Seyed Reza Poorseyed ^*

¹, Elahe Aghaei²

, Seyed Mehdi Poorseyed³

1- Allameh Tabataba’i University
2- Kharazmi University
3- Shiraz University

Abstract: (4255 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral training in reducing the psychological problems and irrational beliefs of mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. One of the experiences for each family is the management of a child with a disability or chronic illness. Among the developmental disabilities, intellectual disability is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents. The birth and presence of a child with an intellectual disability in any family can be considered as an undesirable and challenging event that can lead to stress, frustration, sadness, and despair. Excessive roles that are imposed on the parents due to the birth of a child with disability create a lot of stress for them. Mothers can be at increased risk of these problems, placing them at great risk of mental disorders compared to mothers of normal children. On the other hand, researchers find that many of the problems of mothers with children with intellectual disabilities are the result of their irrational beliefs. Irrational beliefs are negative thoughts that dominate the individual's mind and are a determinant factor in how to interpret events and regulate the quality and quantity of behaviors and emotions. The irrational beliefs of these mothers have an effect on their behavior and cognitive dissonance and can change their interaction with their children.
Methods: The present study is of the applied type regarding purpose. The research method was quasi-experimental, with a pretest, posttest, and a control group. The population of this study included all mothers of children with severe intellectual disabilities under the auspices of Abarkouh Welfare organization. Purposeful sampling was used to select the subjects. After clinical interviews, 40 mothers of children with severe intellectual disabilities who had low psychological health were selected and randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control (20 in each group). In the pretest, Goldberg General Health Questionnaire and Jones irrational beliefs' questionnaire were performed individually on the two groups of experimental and control. Reliability and validity of the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha and the coefficient of internal consistency of the questionnaire were 0.90 and 0.88, respectively. Reliability and validity of Jones irrational beliefs' questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and internal consistency validity were 0.88 and 0.87, respectively. Therefore, the questionnaires used in the research had acceptable reliability and validity. The experimental group participated in cognitive–behavioral training sessions 2 times per week for 8 weeks. Control group was placed on the waiting list for receiving training. After the end of the training sessions, both the experimental and control groups completed the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire and Jones's irrational beliefs again. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and ANOVA by SPSS software.
Results: The results of covariance analysis showed that participants in the experimental group of cognitive behavior training had significantly lower scores on psychological problems and irrational beliefs than the control group in the posttest (P<0.001).
Conclusion: With the help of group cognitive-behavioral training, mothers of children with intellectual disability can benefit from their abilities and become more resistant to life stresses which ultimately leads to increased psychological health and reduction of their irrational beliefs.

Keywords: Cognitive-behavioral Training, Psychological Problems, Irrational Beliefs, Intellectual Disability.

Full-Text [PDF 727 kb] (1875 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

References

1. Taghavi Larijani T, Monjamed Z, Mehran A, Gharahi Ghehi F. Individual factors related to acceptance of mentally retarded adolescent by their family. Journal of Hayat. 2006;12 (1) :24-37. [Persian] [http://hayat.tums.ac.ir/article-1-216-fa.html]

2. Kober R. Enhancing the quality of life of People with intellectual disabilities. New York: Springer press; 2010. [DOI:10.1007/978-90-481-9650-0]

3. Narimani M, Aghamohammadian HR, Rajabi S. A comparison between the mental health of mothers of exceptional children and mothers of normal children. The Quarterly Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health. 2007;9 (33) :15-24. [Persian]

4. Mohammadi MA, Dadkhah B. A comparison of the psychological and social problems of parents of mentally retarded children covered rehabilitation of well-being Ardabil. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2002;1 (3) :200-6. [Persian]

5. Michaeli Manee F. Structural relations of psychological well-being with perceived emotional intelligence, depression and negative thought control abilities in mothers having children with intellectual disability. Research on Exceptional Children. 2009;9 (2):103-20. [Persian] [http://joec.ir/article-1-321-fa.html]

6. Kirkham MA. Two-year follow-up of skills training with mothers of children with disabilities. American Journal of Mental Retardation. 1993;97 (5):509-20.

7. Khamis V. Psychological distress among parents of children with mental retardation in the United Arab Emirates. Social Science & Medicine. 2007;64 (4):850-7. [DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.10.022]

8. Hivadi B, Mirzayi SM, Bahrami H, Salehi M. Comparison of irrational believes between mothers of severe or profound mentally handicapped children with healthy children mothers. Journal of Rehabilitation. 2007;8 (3):75-80. [Persian] [http://rehabilitationj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-220-fa.html]

9. Khorram Abadi R, Pouretemad HR, Tahmasian K, Chimeh N. A comparative study of parental stress in mothers of autistic and non-autistic children. Journal of Family Research. 2009;5 (19):387-99. [Persian]

10. Amiri M, Afrooz A, Malahmadi E, Javadi S, Nour-allahi F, Rezaei-Bidakhavidi A. A study of mental health and parenting stress among parents of mentally disabled children. Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2011;4 (4):261-8. [Persian]

11. Dabrowska A, Pisula E. Parenting stress and coping styles in mothers and fathers of pre-school children with autism and Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 2010;54 (3):266-80. [DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01258.x]

12. Stephanie D, Julie F. Exploring links between language and cognition in autism spectrum disorders: Complement sentences, false belief, and executive functioning. Journal of Communication Disorders. 2015;54:15-31. [DOI:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2014.12.001]

13. Dehghani Y. Efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy on mental health and irrational beliefs of mothers with autistic children. Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. 2016;26 (135):87-98. [Persian] [http://jmums.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-7339-fa.html]

14. Jafari BS, Ashtiani A, Tahmasian K. The effect of positive parenting program on pathological symptoms of children suffered from little attention and hyperactivity. Counseling Culture and Psychotherapy. 2011;2 (7):123-38. [Persian] [http://qccpc.atu.ac.ir/article_5934.html]

15. Shokoohi-Yekta M, Parand A, Zamani N. Anger management instruction for mothers: a cognitive behavioral approach. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2010;5:1371-5. [DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.290]

16. Riahi F, Khajeddin N, Izadi Mazidi S, Eshrat T, Naghdi Nasab L. The effect of supportive and cognitive- behavior group therapy on mental health and irrational believes of mothers of autistic children. Jundishapur Scientific Medical Journal. 2012;10 (6):637-45. [Persian]

17. Parand A, Movallali G. The effect of teaching stress management on the reduction of psychological problems of families with children suffering from hearing-impairment. Journal of Family Research. 2011;7 (25):23-34. [Persian]

18. Parand A, Afrooz GA, Mansoor M, Shokoohi-Yekta M, Besharat M, Khooshabi K. Developing stress management program for mothers of children with ADHD and its effectiveness on their mental health. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2010;5:1135-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.249]

19. Creer T. Self-management behavioral strategies for asthmatics. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 1980;7:14-24.

20. Beck J. Step by Step Guide Cognitive Therapy. Dorahaki E, Abedi MR. (Persian translator). First edition. Esfahan: Mohammadi Flower; 2002, pp: 21-26.

21. Siklos S, Kerns KA. Assessing need for social support in parents of children with autism and Down syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2006;36 (7) :921-33. [DOI:10.1007/s10803-006-0129-7]

22. Vanegas SB, Davidson D. Investigating distinct and related contributions of Weak Central Coherence, Executive Dysfunction, and Systemizing theories to the cognitive profiles of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and typically developing children. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2015;11 (2):77-92. [DOI:10.1016/j.rasd.2014.12.005]

23. Lum M, Garnett M, O'Connor E. Health communication: A pilot study comparing perceptions of women with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2014;8 (12):1713-21. [DOI:10.1016/j.rasd.2014.09.009]

24. Kuhn JC, Carter AS. Maternal self-efficacy and associated parenting cognitions among mothers of children with autism. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2006;76 (4):564-75. [DOI:10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.564]