The Effectiveness of Mindful Parenting on Parental Burnout and Psychological Well-Being in Mothers of Female Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Psychology, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

10.30476/whb.2026.108226.1369

Abstract

Background: Raising a child with an intellectual disability poses significant challenges for families, particularly for mothers. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a mindful parenting program on reducing parental burnout and enhancing psychological well-being among mothers of school girls with intellectual disabilities.
Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, follow-up design and control group. The participants were 93 mothers with school-age daughters facing intellectual challenges in Amol, Mazandaran Province, Iran in 2024. A total number of 32 qualifying participants were selected through accessible sampling technique from specialized learning centers and therapy sites. These individuals were randomly divided into a treatment arm (n=16) and a delayed-treatment reference arm (n=16). The treatment arm engaged in eight consecutive weekly sessions of an organized mindfulness parenting course, while the reference arm underwent no activities throughout the research timeframe. Key evaluations involved the Parental Exhaustion Evaluation and Ryff ’s Mental Health Questionnaire. Information was processed through iterative variance analysis (RM-ANOVA).
Results: RM-ANOVA revealed notable interactive influences between timing and grouping for both caregiver exhaustion and mental health (P<0.001). In the intervention group, mean parental burnout scores decreased significantly from baseline (Mean=59.31, SD=6.34) to post-test (Mean=51.93, SD=5.98), and this reduction was maintained at the three-month follow-up (Mean=52.00, SD=5.63). In contrast, the control group showed no significant changes across these time points. Similarly, mental health scores in the intervention group increased significantly from baseline (Mean=46.18, SD=7.48) to post-test (M=54.12, SD=7.88) and remained stable at follow-up (Mean=54.06, SD=7.97), while the control group’s scores remained unchanged. Comparisons across arms highlighted substantial and sizable advantages for the treatment arm during both post-test and followup phases (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The mindful parenting intervention is an effective approach for alleviating parental burnout and enhancing psychological well-being among mothers of school girls with intellectual disabilities, warranting broader implementation.

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Roja Yahyapour: (Google Scholar)

Marzieh Talebzadeh Shoushtari: (Google Scholar)

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