The Effectiveness of Compassion-based Therapy on Post Traumatic Growth in Mothers of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Background and Purpose: Children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from developmental and functional defects that can cause serious damages to the family, including mother-child relationships. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy on post-traumatic growth in mothers of children with ADHD. Method: This study was a semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample of this study included 20 mothers with children with ADHD in Isfahan city in 2017 who were selected by purposeful sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Tedeschi and Calhoun scale (1996). Participants in the experimental group received a compassion-based therapy in 8 sessions of 90 minutes, whereas the control group received no intervention. For analyzing the data, covariance analysis was used. Results: The results showed that the method of compassion-based therapy improved the sense of internal power and change in goals and priorities of life, while it had no effect on the feeling of proximity and intimacy with others and trying to maintain relationships with others. (p <0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that compassion-focused therapy can be used to manage, organize and prioritize activities in mothers of children with ADHD.