Influence of group psychological counseling on mental health of children with authoritarian mothers / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the influence of group psychological counseling on the mental health of children with mother s authoritarian parenting.@*Methods@#From November 2022 to February 2023, 76 students from grades 4 to 6 whose mother showed authoritarian parenting style, while fathers adopted no authoritative, authoritarian or democratic parenting style and who scored ≥65 on the total MHT were selected using the Parenting Style Questionnaire (PBI) and the Mental Health Diagnostic Test (MHT). All the participants and their mothers were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Before and after the intervention, participants filled out questionnaires on parental bonding instrument and mental health test. Control group regular delivery of mental health education information, 2 times per week, for 8 weeks, without any other intervention. Intervention group group counseling activities were conducted once a week. Each intervention lasted 1.5-2 hours and lasts for 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, participants filled in the family parenting style and mental health screening questionnaires.@*Results@#After the intervention, compared with the control group, students in the intervention group showed a significant decrease in the total scale score of the MHT, learning anxiety, social anxiety, allergic tendency, physical symptoms, fear tendency, and impulsive tendency ( t=-0.43, -1.04 , -0.81, P >0.05). After intervention, the intervention group students showed a significant decrease in psychological diagnosis test scores, learning anxiety, anxiety towards others, allergic tendencies, physical symptoms, phobic tendencies, and impulsive tendencies compared to the control group students ( t=-20.00, -5.06, -2.09, -3.36, -6.15, -4.76, -5.15, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Rregular group psychological counseling can effectively improve the academic anxiety, social anxiety, allergic tendencies, physical symptoms, fearful and impulsive tendencies of students whose mothers with authoritarian parenting style, and greatly improve their mental health.