The Effect of Rational-Emotional Behavior Therapy Training on Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Strategies of Mothers with Cerebral Palsy Children in the City of Tabriz in 2014

Mothers with a cerebral palsy child use inefficient cognitive-emotional regulation strategies during the life they spend with a cerebral palsy child. In recent decades, widespread attention has been paid to the use of cognitive interventions to reduce the psychological problems of mothers with cerebral palsy children; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of rational-emotional behavior therapy training on cognitive-emotional regulation strategies of mothers with a cerebral palsy child in the city of Tabriz in 2014.

This research was a quasi-experimental (pre-test - post-test with a control group) study. The statistical population included all mothers with a cerebral palsy child under the age of 12 years old in Tabriz in 2014, of whom 30 of were selected by available sampling method and randomly assigned to one of the experimental and control groups (15 individuals for each group). The groups completed Garnefski's Cognitive-Emotive Regulation Questionnaire (2001) for pre-test and post-test. Eight 90-minute sessions of rational-emotional behavioral therapy were performed on the experimental group, while the control group did not receive intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate covariance analysis.

The results showed that rational-emotional behavior therapy had a significant effect on positive and negative cognitive-emotional regulation strategies in mothers with a cerebral palsy child (p= 0.001).

Given that rational-emotional behavioral therapy affects the adaptive and non-adaptive cognitive-emotional regulation strategies of mothers with a cerebral palsy child, teaching this approach is recommended as an effective interventional method to increase the use of effective strategies and reduce the dysfunctional cognitive emotional regulation strategies by mothers with a cerebral palsy child.