Effectiveness of problem-solving training, exposure therapy, and the combined method on depression, anxiety, and stress in mothers of children with special needs.

Aim: This study was designed with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of three methods of cognitive‑behavioral therapy, including problem‑solving, exposure therapy, and the combined method (the combination of both methods of problem‑solving and exposure therapy) on depression, anxiety, and stress in mothers of children with special needs. Methods: Research samples consisted of 44 mothers who had children with special needs and were divided randomly into 4 groups of 11: (1) The problem‑solving group, (2) the exposure group, (3) the combined group, and (4) the control group, by the use of an experimental design with pretest and posttest. The measurement tool in this study was Laviband depression, anxiety, and stress questionnaire and the data were analyzed by descriptive statistic methods such as frequency, percentage, and standard deviation; inferential statistics methods such as covariance test and post‑hoc test least significant difference (LSD). Results: The results showed that all three methods were effective on improvement of both the general mental health and problems such as depression, anxiety and stress (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Based on this research and previous literature, cognitive‑behavioral therapy methods, including problem‑solving, exposure therapy, and the combined method were proved to be beneficial for mothers of children with disabilities, retardation, or other disorders, which can affect mental health. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the above‑mentioned interventional methods are considered for these mothers.

Anxiety and stress, depression, exposure therapy, problem‑solving, special needs