Comparison of the Effectiveness of Anxiety Management Training for Parents of College Entrance Exam Candidates and Acceptance and Commitment Training on Parenting Adaptability, Parenting Orientation, and Parental Rumination in Mothers of College Entr

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of anxiety management training for parents of college entrance exam candidates with acceptance and commitment training on parenting adaptability, parenting orientation, and parental rumination in mothers of college entrance exam candidates. Methodology: The research method was experimental, utilizing a pretest-posttest design with a control group, along with a follow-up phase. The statistical population consisted of all mothers with children preparing for the college entrance exam in 2023. A total of 60 mothers were conveniently selected from this population and randomly assigned to three research groups: the anxiety management training group, the acceptance and commitment training group, and the control group (each group consisting of 20 participants). While the control group was placed on a waiting list, both experimental groups received educational interventions. All three groups were assessed in three phases—pretest, posttest, and follow-up—using the study instruments, which included the Parenting Adaptability Scale (Yousefi et al., 2011), the Parenting Orientation Scale (Sadeghi et al., 2021), and the Parental Rumination Scale (Yousefi et al., 2009). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (repeated measures ANOVA). Findings: The results indicated that both methods were effective in improving the dependent variables, except for the anxiety management method, which did not have a significant effect on parenting orientation. No significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of the two methods on parenting adaptability and parental rumination. Conclusion: Based on these findings, it is recommended that school counselors use these methods to enhance parenting adaptability and reduce parental rumination.