Analysis of the Effect of the Group Psychological Counseling Program on Anxiety Levels and Life Satisfaction Levels of Mothers with a Child with Special Needs

Abstract

The study was carried out with mothers who had children with special needs between the ages 3-17 and who attended a private rehabilitation center under the Ministry of National Education. A total of 16 mothers, 8 in the experimental group and 8 in the control group, participated in the study in which the pretest-posttest control group experimental model was used. The group psychological counseling program consisting of 8 sessions were implemented on the mothers in the experimental group. The data were collected through the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used in analyzing the data. It was observed that, as a result of the group psychological counseling program, there was a significant decrease in the state-trait anxiety scores and an increase in the life satisfaction levels of the mothers in the experimental group.