The Effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy on Sleep Disorder, Mental Health, and Stress in Parents with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Learning disabilities in children impose significant psychological burden and stress on parents, especially mothers, which can affect their mental health and quality of sleep. The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on sleep disorders, mental health, and stress in parents of children with learning disabilities. This applied study was conducted using an experimental design with a pretest-posttest and control group. The statistical population included all mothers of children with learning disabilities in regular and special needs schools in the city of Esfarayen. A total of 30 mothers were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data collection tools included the Lynch Sleep Disorder Questionnaire, Goldberg Mental Health Questionnaire, and Cohen Perceived Stress Scale. The data were analyzed using univariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA) in SPSS version 27. The results showed that Compassion-Focused Therapy significantly reduced sleep disorders and stress and improved mental health in parents of children with learning disabilities. Therefore, it can be concluded that this type of intervention therapy can be used as an effective method to improve the psychological state and sleep quality of these parents.