The Effect of Positive Psychotherapy-Based Self-Compassion Training on Internalized Stigma, Loneliness, and Empathy Levels of Parents of Children With Special Needs

Parenting becomes more complex when it comes to raising children with special needs, introducing additional challenges. Unlike traditional parenting, raising a child with special needs requires adapting to constantly changing demands based on the child's individual needs. Furthermore, parents of children with special needs are at a higher risk of experiencing psychological distress compared to parents of typically developing children. High levels of internalizing and externalizing problems observed in children have been reported to cause high levels of stress in parents. Parents often experience complex emotions when they learn that their child has a disability. A child's disability can place a significant emotional and social burden on parents. As parents become more concerned about both their own future and that of their children, they may experience a variety of negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, and depression, which can negatively impact their health. Children with special needs often have developmental disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy, and physical disabilities, as well as visual, hearing, speech, behavioral, motor, and cognitive dysfunctions. Children with special needs are defined as individuals who require additional assistance and support from education, health, medical, and social-environmental services. Compared to raising typically developing children, being a parent of a child with special needs can lead to difficulties in family functioning, increased parenting stress, and inconsistent parenting styles. Therefore, examining the extent of psychological distress among parents of children with special needs is critical for developing solutions, interventions, and approaches to support parents. Self-compassion can be defined as developing a conscious awareness of the pain, distress, and negative emotions experienced by an individual, and adopting a kind, understanding, and supportive attitude toward oneself.This concept involves accepting one's shortcomings and failures as a natural part of being human, rather than harshly judging oneself, and being tolerant towards oneself in this process. Self-compassion is an internal attitude that enables an individual to accept negative experiences with balanced awareness and cope constructively, rather than denying or over-identifying with them. Self-compassion plays a crucial role in coping with emotional difficulties, particularly stress, anxiety, and depression. Individuals who cultivate self-compassion are able to learn from their mistakes and achieve a healthier emotional balance . Findings from self-compassion-based studies conducted with parents of children with disabilities suggest that increased levels of self-compassion are positively associated with various psychological and emotional well-being. A study conducted on parents of children with special needs found that as self-compassion increases, parents' optimism levels also increase. Similarly, Sumiati reported that self-compassion has a negative relationship with burnout and that individuals use more positive coping strategies as self-compassion increases. Stigmatization is the exposure of individuals to negative and exclusionary attitudes by others because they fall outside of the norms considered normal by society. This concept was first theorized by American sociologist Erving Goffman Stigma negatively impacts an individual's social status, leading to discrimination in social interactions. Internalized stigma, on the other hand, occurs when an individual internalizes the stigmatizing views held by society and develops negative perceptions of themselves. This can shape an individual's emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and fears, leading them to perceive themselves as dangerous, inadequate, or lacking in social adaptation. The effects of internalized stigma on an individual can have serious negative health consequences by exacerbating disease symptoms or prolonging the healing process. Individuals exposed to stigma feel shame because of their illness.they may develop attitudes such as feeling inadequate and avoiding social environments. This process can lead to a perception of worthlessness, fear of rejection, hopelessness and loss of self-confidence in individuals, which can negatively affect their psychological and social well-being. It has been found that parents of children with special needs are exposed to stigma. Loneliness is a complex and painful emotion that is difficult to define and understand, which individuals feel when they are distanced from their personal and social environments