The Effectiveness of a Mother Abuse Intervention Program on Parental Competence, Adaptability, and Family Cohesion: A Single-Case Experimental Study

Document Type : پژوهشی

Authors

Golshan Vasel ¹

Zabihollah Abbaspour ²

Reza Khojasteh Mehr ³

Abbas Amanelahi ³

¹ Ph.D student in counseling, Department of Counseling, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of counseling, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

³ Professor, Department of Counseling, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

10.22067/tpccp.2025.95254.1826

Abstract

Introduction
Adolescent violence against parents, particularly mothers, is a relatively understudied form of family violence that has received scant attention despite its alarming prevalence and pervasive psychological, social, and familial consequences (Burgos-Benavides et al., 2024; Morgan & Janes, 2024). Cottrell (2001) defines this phenomenon, widely referred to as "parent abuse" or "mother abuse," as adolescents’ deliberate actions aimed at exerting control or dominance over their parents. Parent abuse can lead to a number of mental health consequences for mothers, who play a crucial role in the well-being of their families, characterized by a heightened sense of helplessness, emotional disconnection, and feeling of shame (Arias-Rivera et al., 2022). In such circumstances, three important indicators of family health—including parenting adequacy, adaptability, and family cohesion—are weakened, leading to the emergence of individual and relational disorders (Vasel, 2022). Parenting adequacy, as defined by Kaasbøll et al. (2024), refers to the parents’ perceived ability to fulfill a caring role. Adaptability, as described by Gao et al. (2024), indicates a family's capacity to respond to pressures and restructure roles. According to Olson (2000), the concept of family cohesion encompasses emotional bonding, support, and positive interactions among members. Given the pressing need to address mother abuse, alongside the limitations of existing international intervention, which frequently exhibit a lack of cultural sensitivity and a systematic perspective, there is an urgent imperative to evaluate culturally relevant and comprehensive approaches to confronting this pervasive issue. One such intervention is the mother abuse intervention program of Abbaspour et al. (Abbaspour et al., 2024b). The present study aims to examine the effectiveness of this mother abuse intervention on parenting adequacy and family adaptability and cohesion.
 
Method
To assess the effectiveness of the mother abuse intervention program, a multiple baseline single-case experimental design (SCED) was utilized. The mother abuse intervention developed by Abbaspour et al. (2024b) comprised 18 sessions, with 9 sessions dedicated to the family unit (including both family and adolescent participation) and 9 sessions specifically designed for the adolescent. The Gibaud-Wallston's Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Gibaud-Wallston, 1977) and the Olson's Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (Olson, 1992) were the instruments of choice in this study. Both scales were completed by mothers. The measurements were conducted at the baseline, which was defined as two to three times, during the intervention, which was defined as six times, and at the two-month follow-up. The analysis of the data was conducted through the utilization of graphical charts, the Resilient Change Index (RCI), and the percentage of improvement. The research population consisted of parents who referred adolescents exhibiting harmful behaviors to counseling centers in Dezful, Iran, during the years 2022 and 2023. Three participants were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and convenience sampling. The ethical considerations that were observed included informed consent, confidentiality, and the possibility of voluntary withdrawal.
 
Findings
The results demonstrated that the scores pertaining to parenting competence and family adaptability exhibited an increase in the intervention phase in comparison to the baseline, a trend that was sustained in the subsequent follow-up phase. Consequently, the percentage of overall improvement in these domains during the intervention and follow-up phases signifies substantial clinical accomplishments (The treatment phase demonstrated a 31.4% and 32.3% improvement, while the follow-up phase exhibited a 60.8% and 53.3% enhancement, respectively). RCI values were found to be higher than the criterion z score (1.96) for all three participants in these two areas (5.4, 5.3, and 4.7 on the parenting sense competence scale and 4.1, 3.8, and 5.8 on the adaptability scale, respectively). This finding indicates the statistical significance of the observed changes. In contrast, findings related to family cohesion demonstrated that only one participant exhibited significant improvement, while the changes observed in the other two participants were not statistically or clinically significant (9.4% improvement at treatment and 24.9% improvement at follow-up). Therefore, it can be concluded that the intervention program was effective in promoting parenting competence and family adaptability, yet it was ineffective in enhancing family cohesion.
 
Conclusion
The findings of present study suggest that the intervention program for mother abuse (Abbaspour et al., 2024b) was effective in enhancing maternal parenting competence and family adaptability. These findings were consistent with the studies of Morgan & Janes (2024) and Abbaspour et al. (2024b). The program's efficacy can be attributed to its provision of a secure environment conducive to emotional expression, cognitive correction, and the fortification of familial bonds. This has resulted in a reduction in maternal self-blame, an enhancement in confidence in parenting abilities, and an improved capacity to navigate and overcome daily familial challenges. The intervention program for mother abuse (Abbaspour et al., 2024b) was also found to be ineffective in improving family cohesion. This result aligns with the findings reported by Najjari et al. (Najjari et al., 2023). This finding can be explained by the notion that the reconstruction of emotional bonds and mutual trust necessitates a greater investment of time and the occurrence of repeated successful experiences. Moreover, contextual factors, such as socio-economic challenges (Spitz & Steinhausen, 2023), can necessitate prolonged interventions to rebuild family cohesion. The present study was subject to several limitations, including the repeated administration of tests, the utilization of a relatively small sample size, and the absence of long-term follow-up. Consequently, the generalization of the results obtained requires a degree of caution. It is recommended that subsequent studies assess the efficacy of the intervention package on more heterogeneous samples with extended follow-up periods. It is also proposed that interventions specifically designed for the enhancement of familial cohesion be formulated.

Keywords

Psychological-Educational Intervention Program

Mother Abuse

Parental Competence

Family Cohesion

Adaptability

Subjects

• Family and Marriage

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 Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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