Investigating the Effectiveness of Attachment-Based Intervention (Savoring Model) on Positive-Negative Emotions, Parental Satisfaction, and Child-Parent Relationship in Mothers of Autistic Children

Alizade, Roghaie; Vatankhah, Hamid

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Alizade R, Vatankhah H. Investigating the Effectiveness of Attachment-Based Intervention (Savoring Model) on Positive-Negative Emotions, Parental Satisfaction, and Child-Parent Relationship in Mothers of Autistic Children. MEJDS 2023; 13 :175-175
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3059-en.html

Investigating the Effectiveness of Attachment-Based Intervention (Savoring Model) on Positive-Negative Emotions, Parental Satisfaction, and Child-Parent Relationship in Mothers of Autistic Children

Roghaie Alizade ^*¹

, Hamid Vatankhah²

1- MA in General Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Tehran West, Tehran, Iran
2- Assistant Professor of Psychology Department, Islamic Azad University, Tehran West, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: (780 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Current therapeutic approaches to support parents of autistic children mainly focus on psychoeducation and necessary skills, and few focus on strengthening relationships between parents and their children. In this regard, the present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a new intervention based on the savoring-intervention model on positive-negative emotions, parental satisfaction, and child-parent relationships.
Methods: The current research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population included all mothers with autistic children referred to exceptional schools and rehabilitation institutions in Islam-Shahr City, Iran, from June 22 to September 22, 2022. The sample group included 30 eligible volunteer mothers who met the inclusion criteria of the research. They were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group). The inclusion criteria for mothers were as follows: being in the age range of 25 to 40 years, having an autistic child less than 10 years old, and being interested in participating in the research. The exclusion criteria were the consumption of any psychiatric medication, receiving psychological interventions in the past year, and having a history of substance abuse and absenteeism for more than two sessions during the treatment period. Ethical considerations in this research included the voluntary attendance of members in the intervention sessions, the confidentiality of information, and providing a commitment to hold the intervention for the control group after the end of the research. Data collection tools were the Positive-Negative Affect Rating Scale (Watson et al., 1988), Kansas Parental Satisfaction (James et al., 1985), and Child-Parent Relationship Scale (Driscoll & Pianta, 1992). The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, and their reliability was checked by the Cronbach alpha method, which was found to be 0.75, 0.82, 0.80, and 0.90, respectively, for the scale of positive emotions, negative emotions, child relationship, and parental satisfaction. For the experimental group, an intervention program based on the savoring-intervention model was implemented in ten 60-minute sessions on a weekly basis. Data analysis was done using the covariance test in SPSS software version 24.
Results: The findings showed the significant effect of savoring intervention on reducing negative emotions (p<0.001), increasing positive emotions (p<0.001), improving satisfaction (p=0.047), and quality of the child-parent relationship (p=0.026) in the experimental group.
Conclusion: By this method, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder learn to focus on the positive aspects of the moments in which they had a close and intimate relationship with their children and helped their children to explore and learn during the pleasurable intervention. They try to meet the needs of their children as a safe base. They also learn that being happy and enjoying life's various moments and experiences does not mean getting rid of life's responsibilities; they can also focus on positive experiences instead of negative experiences. This intervention led to the activation of the attachment system. This activation, in turn, leads to positive emotions in relation to the children, which can positively affect the outcomes related to attachment (for example, mother's responsiveness) and ultimately improve parent-child relationships and parental satisfaction. Based on this, it can be said that pleasure enhancement is a promising intervention to strengthen psychological resources in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Keywords: Attachment, Savoring intervention, Child-Parent relations, Parental satisfaction, Emotions

Full-Text [PDF 281 kb] (585 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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