The Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on the Anxiety Level of Mothers with Hearing-Impaired Children

Background and Aim: One of the effects of having a disabled child on the parents is the experience of anxiety. Parents, especially mothers, blame themselves for their child’s problems and disabilities, and this anxiety can endanger the child’s mental health. The aim of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on the anxiety levels of mothers with hearing-impaired children. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest/post-test design using a control group. The study population consists of all mothers with hearing-impaired children aged 30–40 years studying at Naghme School for the hearing-impaired in Yazd, Iran. A total of 30 mothers were selected using a purposive sampling technique and were randomly assigned into groups of control (n=15) and intervention (n=15). The intervention group received eight 90-minute sessions of compassion therapy, while the control group received no treatment. The Cattle Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the pretest CAQ score was 63.25±7.70 for the intervention group. After the treatment, the mean and standard deviation of CAQ score was 44.02±6.32 for the intervention group. The results of ANCOVA showed an improvement in the cattle anxiety questionnaire scores of adolescents after intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: Compassion-focused therapy can improve the anxiety levels of parents with hearing-impaired children. Therefore, the use of this treatment method is recommended to specialists in this field. Keywords: Hearing-impaired; anxiety; compassion-focused therapy