Comparison of the Effects of Stress Management Skills Training and Self-Awareness Training on Depression in Mothers of Children with Autism
Abstract
Objective: Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of stress management skills training and self-awareness training on depression among mothers of children with autism.
Methods and Materials: This interventional, quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest control-group design with a three-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder attending healthcare centers in Sari during the second half of 2024. Forty-five eligible mothers were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: stress management skills training, self-awareness training, and control, with 15 participants in each group. The first intervention group received seven 90-minute stress management sessions, whereas the second intervention group received eight 90-minute self-awareness sessions. The control group received no study-specific intervention. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene’s test, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons in SPSS version 24.
Findings: The effect of time on depression scores was statistically significant (Wilks’ λ=0.586, F(2,41)=14.493, P<0.001, ηp²=0.414). The time-by-group interaction was also significant (Wilks’ λ=0.735, F(4,82)=3.413, P=0.012, ηp²=0.143). In the stress management group, differences between pretest and posttest (P=0.029) and between pretest and follow-up (P=0.035) were significant, whereas the posttest-follow-up difference was not significant (P=0.084). In the self-awareness group, significant differences were observed between pretest and posttest (P<0.001) and between pretest and follow-up (P=0.043), while the posttest-follow-up difference was not significant (P=1.000). No significant changes were observed in the control group.
Conclusion: Both stress management skills training and self-awareness training were effective in reducing depression among mothers of children with autism, and their effects were maintained at the three-month follow-up; however, direct statistical comparison is required to determine whether either intervention is superior.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ali Ghasemi, Kazem Shariatnia, Hamzeh Akbari (Author)
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