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Background & Objective: Autism spectrum disorder is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that is highly heritable, but also results from non-heritable factors. In terms of genetic risk, the pattern of risk is complex, sharing a genetic structure with other common psychiatric disorders. Approximately one in six adults worldwide suffer from a psychiatric illness. However, there is a lack of large population studies that fully examine maternal versus paternal psychiatric disorders as risk factors, and the combined effects of both parents. Furthermore, it is clear that mental illness has a polygenic basis—many alleles at different genetic loci, mostly with small effect sizes, that increase overall risk. Manifestations of autism include impairment in social communication and interaction, sensory abnormalities, repetitive behaviors, and varying levels of intellectual disability. Along with these core symptoms, co-occurring psychiatric or neurological disorders are common in individuals with autism, with hyperactivity and attention disorders (such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), anxiety, depression, and epilepsy being relatively common. The diagnosis of autism is made after obtaining a detailed developmental history, often from the parents, and observing the individual's interactions with parents or other individuals. Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders experience numerous psychological problems due to having a disabled child, and addressing the treatment of these mothers seems essential. Since few studies have been conducted to date to treat and reduce the problems of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders, and to date, no study has examined the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the impulsivity of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the impulsivity of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Methods: In this study, which was conducted as a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test with a control group, 30 eligible volunteers were selected from among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Yazd city and entered the study. 15 of them were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 15 to the control group. The scores of the impulsivity variable were compared using the impulsivity scale (Barrett, 1995) at two time points before and after treatment. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance. The significance level of the tests was 0.05.
Results: Data analysis showed that the impulsivity test score in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in the intervention group and after receiving treatment decreased significantly compared to the control group, respectively (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy rooted in radical behaviorism that focuses on how we respond to thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to change the meaning of a situation like traditional cognitive therapy. It supports people to identify what is important to them and take steps to live meaningful and worthwhile lives. Rather than focusing on emotion regulation and symptom reduction, acceptance and commitment therapy promotes acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings and to work in ways that are consistent with living a meaningful and worthwhile life, even in the presence of difficult thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. This different focus gives acceptance and commitment therapy a rationale and clear potential for improving the well-being and quality of life of people affected by advanced progressive illness, including caregivers and staff. The acceptance and commitment approach emphasizes full awareness of the individual and acceptance of the illness. Individuals allow underlying or disease-related thoughts and feelings to enter their minds without making any effort to control their thoughts about the illness. When such experiences, i.e. thoughts and feelings, are met with acceptance, the most difficult problems seem less threatening and more bearable, and ineffective control efforts are significantly reduced. In addition, acceptance and commitment therapy has been able to influence clients’ emotion regulation by focusing on flexibility. Relaxation and mindfulness are emphasized in acceptance and commitment therapy exercises. They have significant effects on individuals’ peace of mind and reduce stress as well as automatic negative thoughts. Furthermore, acceptance and commitment require the active and patient acceptance of difficult emotions in order to greatly reduce individuals’ reactivity as well as fears and misjudgments. Research suggests that such emotions increase interpersonal distress and tension, paving the way for experiential avoidance. It seems that using this method, patients learn how to end the discomfort caused by their anger about their illness, blaming others for their illness, and ruminating on negative thoughts about their illness. Instead, people try to participate in activities that bring them closer to their life goals and values. By doing this, people will exercise better control over their emotions and behaviors. They also try to control all aspects of life, even the uncontrollable aspects. They also tend not to get excited and emotional in this regard. The results of the present study showed that acceptance and commitment therapy have a significant effect on the impulsivity of mothers with children with autism spectrum disorder and can lead to the improvement of impulsivity in these individuals. Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be used as a complementary treatment to improve impulsivity in mothers with children with autism spectrum disorder.
Methods: In this study, which was conducted as a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test with a control group, 30 eligible volunteers were selected from among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Yazd city and entered the study. 15 of them were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 15 to the control group. The scores of the impulsivity variable were compared using the impulsivity scale (Barrett, 1995) at two time points before and after treatment. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance. The significance level of the tests was 0.05.
Results: Data analysis showed that the impulsivity test score in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in the intervention group and after receiving treatment decreased significantly compared to the control group, respectively (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy rooted in radical behaviorism that focuses on how we respond to thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to change the meaning of a situation like traditional cognitive therapy. It supports people to identify what is important to them and take steps to live meaningful and worthwhile lives. Rather than focusing on emotion regulation and symptom reduction, acceptance and commitment therapy promotes acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings and to work in ways that are consistent with living a meaningful and worthwhile life, even in the presence of difficult thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. This different focus gives acceptance and commitment therapy a rationale and clear potential for improving the well-being and quality of life of people affected by advanced progressive illness, including caregivers and staff. The acceptance and commitment approach emphasizes full awareness of the individual and acceptance of the illness. Individuals allow underlying or disease-related thoughts and feelings to enter their minds without making any effort to control their thoughts about the illness. When such experiences, i.e. thoughts and feelings, are met with acceptance, the most difficult problems seem less threatening and more bearable, and ineffective control efforts are significantly reduced. In addition, acceptance and commitment therapy has been able to influence clients’ emotion regulation by focusing on flexibility. Relaxation and mindfulness are emphasized in acceptance and commitment therapy exercises. They have significant effects on individuals’ peace of mind and reduce stress as well as automatic negative thoughts. Furthermore, acceptance and commitment require the active and patient acceptance of difficult emotions in order to greatly reduce individuals’ reactivity as well as fears and misjudgments. Research suggests that such emotions increase interpersonal distress and tension, paving the way for experiential avoidance. It seems that using this method, patients learn how to end the discomfort caused by their anger about their illness, blaming others for their illness, and ruminating on negative thoughts about their illness. Instead, people try to participate in activities that bring them closer to their life goals and values. By doing this, people will exercise better control over their emotions and behaviors. They also try to control all aspects of life, even the uncontrollable aspects. They also tend not to get excited and emotional in this regard. The results of the present study showed that acceptance and commitment therapy have a significant effect on the impulsivity of mothers with children with autism spectrum disorder and can lead to the improvement of impulsivity in these individuals. Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be used as a complementary treatment to improve impulsivity in mothers with children with autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: Acceptance and commitment therapy, impulsivity, mothers with children with autism spectrum disorder
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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