The effects of the acceptance and commitment therapy on the experiential avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty of mothers with hearing-impaired children

Abstract

Background and Aim: Children's hearing loss affects not only their speech and language dev­elopment but also their mothers’ mental health. This study aimed to determine the effect of acc­eptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoi­dance of mothers with hearing-impaired or deaf children.
 Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with the pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population comprised all mot­hers of hearing-impaired or deaf children (2−6 years old) in Tabriz City, Iran. Using a purpo­sive sampling method, 32 mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children were selected and then randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (each group, 16 subjects). The experim­ental group was treated with ACT in 8 sessions of 1.5 hours long in two weeks. The study data were collected by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS).
 Results: The results showed that ACT signi­ficantly increased scores on the AAQ-II and IUS in the experimental group compared to the
 control group (p < 0.001).
 Conclusion: ACT might be an efficient way to decrease intolerance of uncertainty and avoid­ance of experience in the mothers of hearing-impaired and deaf children. Also, therapists can use this approach for improving the intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance in mothers of hearing-impaired or deaf children in rehabilitation centers.