The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Training on Maternal Aggression and Children’s Social Adjustment

S. Hosseinian, Ph D

S. Ghasemzadeh, Ph D

Z. Alavi, M.A.

M. Hashemi Bakhshi

Social adjustment which is a reflection of interaction with others as well as how satisfied someone is with their roles is affected by many factors including the family. Mother is the first individual who establishes social relationship with the child. Behavioral problems such as mothers’ aggression can result in children’s psychological maladjustment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of cognitive-behavioral training on aggressive mothers and their children’s social adjustment. To this end, 50 high school female students from Tehran’s district 12 were chosen in 2013 through purposeful sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the next step, mothers and their daughters completed aggression and the social adjustment questionnaires in pretest and posttest stages. The mothers were trained in ten sessions (two three-hour sessions per week). The intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral approach. The data were analyzed using repeated measures test and analysis of covariance. Results showed significant results for both scales. In general, it can be stated that cognitive behavioral training leads to decreased maternal aggression and could increase social adjustment of children.

Key words: cognitive-behavioral training, aggression, social adjustment