Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on Psychological Distress among Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Problem-Solving Appraisal
- PMID: 38247698
- PMCID: PMC10813282
- DOI: 10.3390/bs14010046
Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on Psychological Distress among Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Problem-Solving Appraisal
Abstract
Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face considerable psychological distress. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has shown promise in reducing caregiver burden, but evidence in the Arab world is lacking. Problem-solving appraisal training may optimize CBT's benefits. This study evaluated a tailored CBT program emphasizing the role of problem-solving appraisal in managing distress through the process of CBT. Sixty mothers were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the CBT intervention group or the control group. The CBT group received 3-month sessions incorporating problem-solving appraisal training within a CBT curriculum from October 2022 to April 2023. Problem-solving techniques are focused on equipping individuals with the skills to identify, approach, and effectively resolve problems, leading to a reduction in stress levels and an improved capacity to cope with difficult situations. All mothers completed assessments of socio-demographics such as age, level of education, marital status, occupation, and adequacy of family income, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) before and after the program. The CBT group showed significant pre-to-post reductions in depression, anxiety, stress, and general psychological distress compared to controls (all p < 0.05). They also exhibited significant improvements in problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style and personal control (all p < 0.05). The customized CBT program markedly improved psychological well-being for mothers of children with ASD in Egypt. Incorporating problem-solving techniques may optimize CBT's benefits cross-culturally. These findings have implications for the implementation of evidence-based support programs for families impacted by ASD worldwide.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; cognitive behavioral therapy; problem-solving; psychological distress; randomized controlled trial.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Similar articles
-
Problem-solving skills training for mothers of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot feasibility study.Autism. 2016 Jan;20(1):55-64. doi: 10.1177/1362361314567134. Epub 2015 Apr 20. Autism. 2016. PMID: 25896269
-
A web-based training program using cognitive behavioral therapy to alleviate psychological distress among employees: randomized controlled pilot trial.JMIR Res Protoc. 2014 Dec 2;3(4):e70. doi: 10.2196/resprot.3629. JMIR Res Protoc. 2014. PMID: 25470499 Free PMC article.
-
Military Health Provider Training and Evaluation of a Problem-Solving Intervention to Reduce Distress and Enhance Readiness Among Service Members.Mil Med. 2019 May 1;184(5-6):e303-e311. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usy229. Mil Med. 2019. PMID: 30252080
-
Behavioural and cognitive behavioural therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Sep 3;9(9):CD013173. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013173.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021. PMID: 34693989 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 May 12;2016(5):CD012189. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012189. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016. PMID: 27168519 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Mojarad B.A., Qaiser F., Yuen R.K.C. Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics: Genetic and Environmental Influences. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2023. Genetics and Epigenetics of ASD; pp. 293–307. - DOI
-
- Eisenstat D.D., Goldowitz D., Oberländer T.F., Yager J.Y. Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics: Genetic and Environmental Influences. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2023. pp. 1–832. - DOI
-
- Li Y.A., Chen Z.J., Li X.D., Gu M.H., Xia N., Gong C., Zhou Z.W., Yasin G., Xie H.Y., Wei X.P., et al. Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Global Burden of Disease 2019 and Bibliometric Analysis of Risk Factors. Front. Pediatr. 2022;10:972809. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.972809. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous