The Effect of Self-compassion Training on the Suicidal Thoughts and Experiential Avoidance of Parents with Physical Disabilities Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of self-compassion training on suicidal thoughts and experiential avoidance of parents with children with physical disabilities.The research was quasi-experimental with a pretest/posttest design and a control group.The statistical population of the study included all parents with children with physical and motor disabilities covered by the welfare of Kermanshah in 2023. Among them, 20 people (16 women and 4 men) were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (10 people in each group). The tools used included suicide ideation scale (BSSI) and acceptance and action questionnaire (AAQ-II). The experimental group underwent eight 90-minute sessions of self-compassion training based on Gilbert's protocol, and the control group did not receive any program. Data analysis was done by SPSS-24 software using univariate analysis of covariance.The results showed that self-compassion training has an effect on reducing suicidal thoughts and experiential avoidance of parents with children with physical disabilities (P<0.001). Therefore, self-compassion can be used to prevent suicide and also to increase the acceptance of feelings and emotions of parents with children with physical disabilities.