Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy in Depressed Mothers of Cerebral Palsy Children

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to prove the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing the level of depression among mothers of cerebral palsy (CP) children. Study Design: Intervention-based study. Subject and Method: This study was conducted at department of Occupational Therapy, Institute Of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation-Dow University of Health sciences. The present study was conducted during July 2011 to August 2011. Screened mothers with moderate depressive symptoms on Beck Depression Inventory- IIwere selected for CBT sessions.24 mothers were enrolled for the therapy. Six structured CBT sessions for each mother were conducted. Pre- and post-interventional evaluations of depressive symptoms were done by using Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Results: Means of pre-intervention and post intervention were compared to find out the effectiveness of CBT for depressed mothers of CP children. Results show a significant improvement in post interventional evaluation of depression symptoms, indicating that CBT helped these mothers to cope up with their depressive symptoms. Conclusion: CBT assists mothers of CP children with moderate depressive symptoms to cope up with their depressive symptoms effectively.

Keywords

• cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt)
• cerebral palsy
• maternal depression
• beck depression inventory-ii, relaxation techniques
• stress management