Effectiveness of group education of concepts of choice theory on marital satisfaction of parents of children with autism

Abstract

Abstract Background and purpose: Considering the many problems that exist among parents of children with autism, this research was conducted with the aim of group education of the concepts of choice theory on the marital satisfaction of parents with children with autism who refer to rehabilitation centers in Tehran. Is. Research method: This research was conducted using a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population includes parents of autistic children in Tehran who visited rehabilitation centers in Tehran. The sample size included 24 couples with autistic children who had referred to rehabilitation centers (Hes Khoob, Zafar, Mehr Clinics, as well as Mehand Zaiba Autism School) for treatment and were selected by purposeful sampling and randomly divided into two groups ( Each group consisted of 12 people including 6 couples. To determine their marital satisfaction, Enrich couple scale was used as pre-test and post-test for both groups. For the experimental group, 8 training sessions were conducted on the concepts of choice theory, while the control group did not receive any training. Findings: Data analysis was done using SPSS21 statistical software and covariance test to check the differences between the two groups. The findings of this study showed that teaching the concepts of choice theory was significantly effective in improving marital satisfaction and communication, as well as reducing conflicts and ideal distortions of couples in the experimental group (P<0.01). Conclusion: According to the results of this research, it can be said that teaching the concepts of choice theory increases the marital satisfaction of parents with children with autism, so the method used in this research can be considered as a suitable method for psycho-educational, counseling and Treating couples who have marital problems.