THE EFFECT OF GROUP SUPPORTIVE AND TRAINING PSYCHOTHERAPY ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Autism is considered as pervasive developmental disorders of childhood in DSM- IV, and it is a neural developmental disorder in DSM-5. This study aimed to investigate the effect of group supportive and training psychotherapy on anxiety, depression, stress and quality of life in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders.
The current study was performed by semi-experimental method with pretest, posttest. The study population consisted of all mothers of children with autism admitted to Shafa Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Hospital and Outpatient Clinic in Rasht in the second 6-months of 2013. The sample included 20 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder that their anxiety and depression scores were above the cut point. In the first stage, the participants were selected by available sampling method (targeted) and then randomly divided into two groups. Pretest consisted of questionnaire such as Beck Anxiety, Beck Depression, parental stress inventory (PSI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO QOL-BREF) in both groups. Then, supportive psychotherapy and group training programs were conducted during six weeks each week a 90-minute session for the experimental group. The results were analyzed by covariance.
It was revealed that supportive psychotherapy and group training programs reduced the value of anxiety, depression, and stress in the test group significantly and improved their quality of life, while there was no significant change in the control group (P It seems that the emphasis on this type of therapeutic interventions by the health care system can have a significant impact on these aspects of mentioned patients’ mental health.