چکیده:
Aim: This study was designed with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of three methods
of cognitive‑behavioral therapy, including problem‑solving, exposure therapy, and the combined
method (the combination of both methods of problem‑solving and exposure therapy) on depression,
anxiety, and stress in mothers of children with special needs. Methods: Research samples consisted
of 44 mothers who had children with special needs and were divided randomly into 4 groups of 11:
(1) The problem‑solving group, (2) the exposure group, (3) the combined group, and (4) the control
group, by the use of an experimental design with pretest and posttest. The measurement tool in
this study was Laviband depression, anxiety, and stress questionnaire and the data were analyzed by
descriptive statistic methods such as frequency, percentage, and standard deviation; inferential statistics
methods such as covariance test and post‑hoc test least significant difference (LSD). Results: The
results showed that all three methods were effective on improvement of both the general mental
health and problems such as depression, anxiety and stress (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Based on this
research and previous literature, cognitive‑behavioral therapy methods, including problem‑solving,
exposure therapy, and the combined method were proved to be beneficial for mothers of children
with disabilities, retardation, or other disorders, which can affect mental health. Therefore, it is strongly
recommended that the above‑mentioned interventional methods are considered for these mothers
خلاصه ماشینی:
[17] Among various treatment methods, that are beneficial for enhancing mental health and decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is well‑documented for addressing these symptoms.
This research aims to provide an appropriate groundwork for studying and comparing the effectiveness of three CBT methods including problem‑solving, exposure therapy, and the combined method (simultaneous application of problem‑solving and exposure methods) on depression, anxiety and stress in mothers of children with special needs.
Subjects training contained diagnosis of the problem and definition of the problem of that, trying to understand the problem, determining related goals, generating and presenting alternative solutions, examination and selection of the best suggestion, application of the chosen solution, evaluation of the effectiveness of the applied method on solving the problem, examining the tactic evaluation methods, application of the solutions, examination of the treatment process, deciding for continuing or ending the treatment, following up the results, and examining the patient’s problems regarding the problem‑solving process[32] (2) The exposure group program: This method was scheduled to be carried out in eight 90 min sessions too and consisted of focusing and reviewing the trauma, separating the negative emotional aspects of it with 248 International Journal of Educational and Psychological Researches / Vol 1 / Issue 4 / October-December 2015 the guidance of the therapist, along with relaxation and home practices of mental imagery, making notes or recording the voice for reviewing the trauma with and without relaxation, and studying the improvement of the patient[33] (3) The mixed program: This group’s treatment was a combination of the programs prepared for the two groups of problem‑solving and exposure therapy, in eight sessions, aiming to train problem‑solving skills, along with relaxation and methods of recognition of negative thoughts and stopping the thought process, focusing on the traumatic situation in problem‑solving process and the exposure therapy method.
Discussion Results of this study showed the effectiveness of problem‑solving training, exposure therapy, and the mixed method on improvement of the mental health of mothers of children with special needs in experimental groups, in comparison to the control.