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Department of Educational Sciences and Counseling, Faculty of Humanities, University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran. , Soleimanian@ub.ac.ir
Abstract: (31 Views)
Background: Autism spectrum disorder imposes multiple challenges on parents, particularly mothers. Research indicates that these parents are at risk of parental burnout and social stigma, factors that may adversely affect their quality of life and family functioning. Hence, applying effective psychological interventions, especially self-compassion–based approaches, is of great importance.
Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-compassion therapy in reducing parental burnout and social stigma among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population included mothers of children with autism enrolled in elementary autism schools in Mashhad. Using purposive sampling, 36 mothers were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (18) and control (18) groups. At the end of the sessions, one participant from the experimental group was excluded, and data from 35 mothers were analyzed. Research instruments included the Parental Burnout Questionnaire (Roskam et al., 2018) and the Internalized Stigma Questionnaire for Mothers of Children with Autism (Rezaei Dehnavi & Hemmati Alamdarloo, 2016). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of self-compassion therapy (Gilbert, 2009). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-21.
Results: The results showed that self-compassion-based therapy led to a significant reduction in parental burnout and its subscales (exhaustion in one's parental role, contrast with previous parental self, and emotional distancing from one's children) as well as in perceived social stigma and its subscales (others’ of beliefs, mother’s of beliefs and avoidance behaviors) in the experimental group (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: Strengthening self-compassion by reducing self-blame, increasing acceptance of negative emotions, and promoting self-kindness can improve the mental health of mothers of children with autism. Therefore, self-compassion therapy can be considered an effective intervention to reduce psychological pressures in this population.
Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-compassion therapy in reducing parental burnout and social stigma among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Methods: The study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population included mothers of children with autism enrolled in elementary autism schools in Mashhad. Using purposive sampling, 36 mothers were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (18) and control (18) groups. At the end of the sessions, one participant from the experimental group was excluded, and data from 35 mothers were analyzed. Research instruments included the Parental Burnout Questionnaire (Roskam et al., 2018) and the Internalized Stigma Questionnaire for Mothers of Children with Autism (Rezaei Dehnavi & Hemmati Alamdarloo, 2016). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of self-compassion therapy (Gilbert, 2009). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-21.
Results: The results showed that self-compassion-based therapy led to a significant reduction in parental burnout and its subscales (exhaustion in one's parental role, contrast with previous parental self, and emotional distancing from one's children) as well as in perceived social stigma and its subscales (others’ of beliefs, mother’s of beliefs and avoidance behaviors) in the experimental group (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: Strengthening self-compassion by reducing self-blame, increasing acceptance of negative emotions, and promoting self-kindness can improve the mental health of mothers of children with autism. Therefore, self-compassion therapy can be considered an effective intervention to reduce psychological pressures in this population.
Keywords: parental burnout, perceived social stigma, self-compassion-based therapy, autism spectrum disorder, mother
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/07/12 | Accepted: 2025/09/15 | Published: 2026/02/20
Received: 2025/07/12 | Accepted: 2025/09/15 | Published: 2026/02/20
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)