Abstract

Background and purpose: Playing games is essential in children’s lives. Children convey their thoughts through games, unlike adults that express their feelings through words. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) on distress, anxiety, and depression in mothers of children with mild intellectual disabilities. Materials and methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 30 mothers with children with mild intellectual disabilities were selected by convenience sampling. They were divided into experimental and control groups. Both groups completed the DASS inventory. The participants in experimental group attended 8 sessions of group play therapy. Results: Covariance analysis showed that CPRT led to significant reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression in mothers with intellectually disabled children (P<0.05). Conclusion: Child Parent Relationship Therapy reduces anxiety, stress, and depression in mothers of children with mental and physical disabilities. © 2017, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.