Effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment on quality of life and cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism

Introduction: It is necessary to identify psychological treatment effective in improving the quality of life of mothers with autistic children, so the present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment on the quality of life and cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism. Methods: The current research was a semi-experimental experiment with a pre-test-post-test and follow-up design with two experimental and control groups. The statistical population consisted of mothers of children with autism from Dost Autism Institute in Tehran in 2019, and the research sample was 30 mothers of this institution, who were selected through voluntary and non-probability sampling based on the entry criteria in the first step, and then as They were randomly replaced in two groups of 15 people, which included the experimental and control groups. Then they received eight training sessions of acceptance and commitment. The duration of the sessions was 45 minutes per week, but the control group was placed on the waiting list. The research tools were Hayes' Integrated Acceptance and Commitment Protocol, Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Denay and Vanderwaal's Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire. Result: The results of the research showed that treatment based on acceptance and commitment significantly increases the quality of life and cognitive flexibility of mothers of children with autism (P<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of treatment based on acceptance and commitment in increasing the quality of life of mothers of children with autism and providing new horizons in clinical interventions. Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be used as a complementary therapy by creating positive and appropriate changes in mothers of children with autism.