Background: Parenting children with autism is often accompanied with high levels of psychological distress and
negative psychological outcomes. Aim: to evaluate the effect of cognitive behavioral counseling program on
psychological distress, coping strategies and sense of cohesion among Autistic Children’s Mothers. Research
design: The research design was quasi-experimental. Subjects: A purposive sample of 60 mothers of children with
autism was included in this research. Tools: Three different tools were used; Tool I: Part 1: Socio-demographic
and clinical data structured interview sheet, and Part 2: Psychological Stress scale used to assess levels of
psychological stress of mothers. Tool II: sense of cohesion (SOC) Scale used to assess levels of cohesion of
mothers, Tool III: Coping strategies scale used to assess coping strategies used by mothers. Results: Studied
mothers had lower levels of stress, greater sense of cohesion and effective coping mechanism post program than at
baseline pre-program. Also there were negative correlations between the studied mothers' sense of cohesion &
coping strategies and their psychological stress post program implementation. Conclusion: These findings support
the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioral counseling program in reducing stress and increasing mothers' sense of
cohesion and coping mechanisms. Recommendations: Integration the current program in psychosocial rehabilitation
centers for community mental health nurses to support caregivers in early stages of caring process of children with
autism for effective management of their children.
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