The Effectiveness of Combined Program of Parent Management Training and Parenting based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Parental stress, Parent-Child relationship and Child’s Externalizing Problems

This research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the combined program of parent management training and parenting based acceptance and commitment therapy on parental stress, parent-child relationship, and child's externalizing problems.The research was semi-experimental in the form of a pre-test, and post-test design with a control group and a three-month follow-up. The research community was the mothers of children aged 4 to 9 years in Semnan city in 1400. 24 mothers were selected by the available sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 two-hour intervention sessions while the control group was on the waiting list. The research tools were Abidin's parenting stress index, Pianta's parent-child relationship scale, and Eyberg's child behavior questionnaire. The data were analyzed by multivariate covariance analysis. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the parental stress, parent-child relationship, and the child's externalized problems. Only in the dependence subscale, it can be seen that this difference is not significant. This combined program can be effective in reducing parenting stress and externalizing problems of the child and reduce conflicts between parents and children and bring closer their relationship, but it is not effective in the degree of parent-child dependence.