1- M.A. Student, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
2- Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran , s.ghasemzadeh@ut.ac.ir
3- Ph.D. Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Al-Zahra University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (3496 Views)
Background and Aim: The objective of this study was to design and examine the effectiveness of a parent-child relationship improvement program in reducing the externalized problems in children with Down's syndrome. A parent-child relationship improvement program was designed, followed by assessing its effectiveness in a random sample of pupils using a quasi-experimental research design with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up.
Materials and Methods: The study population was all the pupils with Down’s syndrome in the schools for exceptional student in Tehran and their parents in the academic year 2016-2017. The parents and their children were divided into two experimental and control groups.
Thirty-six out of 56 mothers were screened based on a diagnostic interview and inclusion and exclusion criteria and completed the CBCL and parent-child relationship questionnaires in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data analysis was performed using the multivariate covariance analysis with repeated measurements.
Results: The results showed that the mean post-test scores were statistically significantly different between the control and experimental groups, the mean scores of the experimental group being lower than those of the control group, which indicates a positive effect of the family-centered intervention.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is concluded that the parent-child relationship improvement program can reduce the subscales of conflict and dependence and increase the subscale of intimacy in the parent-child relationships. Moreover, it can also reduce behavioral problems in children with Down’s syndrome.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Public Health Received: 2018/12/17 | Accepted: 2018/12/17 | Published: 2018/12/17