Parental training: evaluation of its impacts on the family

Abstract

This paper describes the family impact of a parent education program (PEP) designed for parents of Down syndrome children. The PEP focused on enhancing parent’s level of information, parent’s sense of competence and promoting family functioning and informal support network. The program organized 12 workshops for parents in a small group format. Mothers that participated in this study were, in average, high school educated and were assigned to either a treatment (N=22) or a waiting list control group/ conventional group (N=17), that were compared on several pre and post-test measures. At pre-test there were no significant differences between both groups on any of the following characteristics: children’s sex, chronological and developmental age, mothers’ education and socio-economic status of the family. Statistical analyses showed significant differences (enhancement) in maternal sense of competence, family functioning and usefulness of informal support network, only for mother that integrated the experimental group. Parent’s evaluations indicated high levels of satisfaction with this program.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v17i1.446