Introduction: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on the mental health and marital satisfaction of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in 2024.
Method: This quasi-experimental study followed a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The research sample consisted of 30 mothers of children with autism who attended counseling centers in Shiraz. They were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). During the pre-test phase, all participants completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) by Goldberg (1972) and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (2000). The experimental group then participated in an emotion regulation training program consisting of ten weekly sessions, while the control group remained on a waitlist. After the intervention phase, both groups completed the same questionnaires as a post-test. The study's findings were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.
Results: The results obtained from the multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the training sessions had an effect on the mental health and marital satisfaction of mothers of children with autism (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the findings showed that the mental health and marital satisfaction of mothers of children with autism in the control group were significantly lower than those of mothers in the experimental group (p < 0.01).
Discussion and conclusion: Given the effectiveness of this training program in promoting mental well-being and marital satisfaction in mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it can be utilized as a psychological intervention.