Comparison of the Effectiveness of “Compassion-Based Group Therapy” and “Group Reality Therapy” on Parent-Child interaction in Mothers with Autistic Children

Introduction: Families of autistic children are strongly influenced by various factors on the parent-child relationship. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of "Compassion-Based Group Therapy" and "Group Reality Therapy" on parent-child interaction in mothers with autistic children. Methods: The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test and 3 months’ follow-up with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all mothers with autistic children who were at level one, who had referred to 8 counseling and psychotherapy centers for children left behind in Tehran in the second half of 2017. The centers were selected according to accessible referral method. The centers were selected according to available referral method. Among them, 45 people were selected by available sampling method and randomly and by lottery were placed in 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. The research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, "Parent-Child Relationship Scale". The content validity of the instrument was measured by qualitative method and the reliability by internal consistency method by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. After performing 8 sessions of 90 minutes of "Compassion-Based Group Therapy" and "Group Reality Therapy" for the intervention groups, the data were analyzed in SPSS. 24. Results: "Compassion-Based Group Therapy" and “Group Reality Therapy” were effective in parent-child interaction in mothers with autistic children P <0.01).  There was a difference between effectiveness on the intimacy subscale and the overall score of the parent-child relationship P <0.01). Conclusions: "Compassion-Based Group Therapy" and "Group Reality Therapy" were effective on parent-child interaction in mothers with autistic children. It is recommended that therapists use "Compassion-Based Group Therapy" and "Group Reality Therapy " to strengthen and improve the mother-child relationship with autistic children.