The effects of the acceptance and commitment therapy on the experiential avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty of mothers with hearing-impaired children

Children's hearing loss affects not only their speech and language development but also their mothers’ mental health. This study aimed to determine the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance of mothers with hearing-impaired or deaf children. This is a quasi-experimental study with the pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population comprised all mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children (2−6 years old) in Tabriz City, Iran. Using a purposive sampling method, 32 mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children were selected and then randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (each group, 16 subjects). The experimental group was treated with ACT in 8 sessions of 1.5 hours long in two weeks. The study data were collected by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS). The results showed that ACT significantly increased scores on the AAQ-II and IUS in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). ACT might be an efficient way to decrease intolerance of uncertainty and avoidance of experience in the mothers of hearing-impaired and deaf children. Also, therapists can use this approach for improving the intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children in rehabilitation centers.