The Effectiveness of Emotion Efficacy Therapy on Psychological Hardiness and Parental Burnout Among Mothers with Autistic Children

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student of General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.

2 Associate Proffesor, Clinical Psychology Department, Community Health Research Center, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotion efficacy therapy on psychological hardiness and parental burnout in mothers with autistic children.
 
Method: The research utilized a semi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up approach. The statistical population included all mothers with autistic children who visited Dasthaye Mehrabani School (Darya) in Isfahan in 2022. Thirty mothers meeting the inclusion criteria were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group, with 15 participants in each. Both groups completed the Psychological Hardiness Inventory (Kobasa, Maddi, & Kahn, 1982) and the Parental Burnout Assessment (Roskam, Brianda, & Mikolajczak, 2018) before and after the intervention, with a follow-up assessment 2 months later. The experimental group received emotion efficacy therapy in eight sessions lasting 2 hours each, while the control group received no intervention. Data analysis was conducted using MANCOVA.
 
Results: Emotion efficacy therapy demonstrated effectiveness in improving psychological hardiness and reducing parental burnout (p < 0.05). The positive effects observed were sustained during the follow-up stage (p < 0.05).
 
Conclusion: Emotion efficacy therapy appears to be a valuable intervention for enhancing psychological hardiness and decreasing parental burnout among mothers with autistic children.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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