بررسي مقدماتي اثر تصور هدايت شده با موسيقي بر كاهش استرس، افسردگي و اضطراب مادران كودكان مبتلا به اختلالات اتيستيك

An Initial Examination of the Effect of Guided Imagery via Music on Reduction of Stress, Depression, and Anxiety of Mothers with Autistic Childrenʹ

Autism is one of the wide-ranging pervasive developmental disorders in childhood , characterized by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development: Reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotyped behavior, interests and activities. Because of these childrenʹs countless difficulties , the families and particularly mothers with autistic children suffer from a great deal of tension and psychological stress. The guided imagery via music, a recognized relaxation and desensitization method reduces tense responses and causes respite by influencing mental and emotional responses of people afflicted with stress and depression. Hence this method can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety of parents of children with invasive disorders; it enhances their capacity to assist in habilitation of their children. This research evaluated the effect of guided imagery method via music on reduction of stress, depression, and anxiety ofmothers of children afflicted with autistic disorder. Ten mothers were administered a sum of four in person and live homework practice sessions of guided imagery for the duration of one month. The instruments used included DASS, which appraises three variables of depression , anxiety, and stress. This instrument has been normalized in Iran. The findings indicated that although relaxation method with music as well as discussion regarding musical states in sum reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, its only significant effect was evident in reduction of mothersʹ stress in the third session; the other symptoms were relatively reduced. These findings may be further expounded and interpreted taking into account the background and nature of variable s considered .