Effectiveness of training self-awareness and assertiveness skills on self-esteem and compatibility of mothers ofmentally retarded children Print

Birth of a mentally retarded child could have a negative impact on the structure and function of the family and can subject parents, especially mothers, to physical, psychological, social, and economic tensions. This study investigated the effectiveness of training self-awareness and assertiveness skills based on group therapy on compatibility and self-esteem of mothers of mentally retarded children in Shahrekord in 2009.

This applied and quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test was conducted in 2009. The population comprised of all mothers of mentally retarded children of Shahrekord. From among them, 30 were selected randomly on whom the intervention was performed. The tools used in this study included Bell adjustment inventory and Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Parents were taught self-awareness and assertiveness skills twice a week and for 12 sessions in all. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 15 and paired t test at the significant level of P <0.05.

Results of this study showed that training self-awareness and assertiveness skills had a significantly positive impact on the overall compatibility and its components (i.e., social adjustment, home adjustment, and emotional adjustment) as well as the self-esteem of mothers of mentally retarded children (P=0.001).

Training self-awareness and assertiveness skills is an effective method to improve compatibility and self-esteem of mothers of mentally retarded children.