Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Treatment on Marital Dissatisfaction in Mothers of Mentally Retarded Children

Objective: Parenting is one of the most difficult roles that adults undertake without any special preparation. Especially if one of the children is mentally retarded, it may present more problems to the parents. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment on the level of marital dissatisfaction in mothers with mentally retarded children. Methods: The research design was semi-experimental and pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the research was all parents of mentally retarded elementary school students in 2023 of Tehran. The studied sample included 20 pairs of parents of mentally retarded children who were selected as convenience and randomly placed in two experimental and control groups. Enrich marital satisfaction scale was used to collect data. Treatment sessions based on commitment and acceptance were conducted by an expert who had attended a training course in this field in 8 sessions of 90 minutes for two months and one session every week at the counseling center. Results: The results showed that acceptance and commitment treatment was effective in reducing the marital dissatisfaction of couples with intellectually disabled children. Conclusions: This research provides valuable insights for mental health professionals and underscores the need for targeted support programs to enhance marital satisfaction and overall well-being in families with special needs children.