article · Behavioral Sciences
Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder often experience substantial psychological distress. A clinical study in Egypt evaluated the effectiveness of a tailored cognitive behavioural therapy programme integrating problem-solving appraisal training. Sixty mothers were randomly assigned to either a control group or an intervention group that completed three months of therapy sessions. Assessments measured socio-demographics, depression, anxiety, stress, and problem-solving abilities before and after the programme. Participants receiving the therapy achieved statistically significant reductions in depression, anxiety, stress, and general psychological distress relative to the control group. Furthermore, these mothers demonstrated significant gains in problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance styles, and personal control. The results demonstrate that embedding problem-solving techniques within cognitive behavioural therapy can effectively improve mental health outcomes for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Caring for a child with autism spectrum disorder can cause severe emotional strain and caregiver burnout. Demonstrating that culturally tailored cognitive behavioural therapy combined with problem-solving training significantly lowers depression and anxiety provides mental health professionals with an effective, practical framework to safeguard the psychological well-being of family caregivers.
The findings present an applied and tested clinical protocol suitable for adoption by healthcare providers, community mental health clinics, and caregiver support organisations. Because the intervention has demonstrated efficacy in a randomised trial, it is positioned for practical service delivery, though broader deployment would require developing formal practitioner training manuals, digital delivery formats, or integration into standard family disability support services.
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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 <i>p</i> < 0.05). They also exhibited significant improvements in problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style and personal control (all <i>p</i> < 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.
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DOI: 10.3390/bs14010046
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