The Effect of the Family-Centered Problem-Solving Intervention on The Mental Well-Being of Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum

Background: The birth of an exceptional child in a family can lead to Decreasing the mental well-being of family members. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the family-centered problem-solving intervention on the mental well-being of mothers of children with autism spectrum. Method: The research design was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with the control group. The statistical population of this study was all mothers of children with Autism disorder in Kermanshah. In this study, 30 mothers of autistic children whom their children were studying at rehabilitation center were selected by the purposeful sampling method and were randomly assigned into two experimental (15) and control (15) groups. In this study, The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener & et al 1985) And Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) of Watson et al. (1988) were used to measure mental well-being. After collecting the pre-test data of the mothers in the experimental group, ten two-hour sessions (For a month) of family-centered problem-solving programs were administered, After the end of the sessions, the post-test phase, and after a one-month interval, the follow up phase Was executed. The obtained data were analyzed by Repeated measures design. Result: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in the variable studied; however, there was no significant difference between the post-test and follow-up scores in the variable studied. Conclusion: the results of this study showed that the implementation of family-centered problem-solving training intervention has been effective on the mental well-being and its subscales. Therefore, the family-centered problem-solving training program is of great importance as a preventive program.