Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on the parent–child relationship and quality of life in mothers of children with cancer

Golestan, seyede Narges; Rajaei, Alireza; Farhangi, Hamid; Bayazi, Mohammad Hossein

Volume 13, Issue 2 (6-2025) jmsthums 2025, 13(2): 1-14 | Back to browse issues page

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Golestan S N, Rajaei A, Farhangi H, Bayazi M H. Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on the parent–child relationship and quality of life in mothers of children with cancer. jmsthums 2025; 13 (2) :1-14
URL: http://jms.thums.ac.ir/article-1-1319-en.html

Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on the parent–child relationship and quality of life in mothers of children with cancer

Seyede Narges Golestan¹

, Alireza Rajaei¹

, Hamid Farhangi²

, Mohammad Hossein Bayazi¹

1- Department of Psychology, ToJ.C., Islamic Azad University, Torbat Jam, Iran
2- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract: (13 Views)

Background & Aim: Mothers of children with cancer often experience various psychological problems. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy (ACT) on the parent–child relationship and quality of life in mothers of children with cancer.
Methods: This semi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design. The participants were 30 mothers of children with cancer who were referred to Dr. Sheikh Hospital in Mashhad in 2021. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants in each group). The experimental group received acceptance and commitment-based therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using Pianta’s Parent–Child Relationship Scale (1992) and the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire (1996). Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with SPSS version 26.
Results: Findings showed that acceptance and commitment-based therapy significantly improved the parent-child relationship (F = 161.24, p < 0.05) and increased the quality of life of mothers of children with cancer (F = 54.39, p < 0.05). Moreover, there was no significant difference between posttest and follow-up scores in the experimental group (p > 0.05), indicating the persistence of the intervention’s effects on the parent-child relationship and quality of life.
Conclusion: Given that acceptance and commitment-based therapy improved the parent-child relationship and quality of life among mothers of children with cancer, it is recommended that this therapeutic method be used to help reduce the psychological problems of this group.

Keywords: Child-parent relationship, Life quality, Acceptance and commitment therapy

Full-Text [PDF 333 kb] (7 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: General
Received: 2024/07/28 | Accepted: 2025/01/7 | Published: 2025/11/16

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