Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Improved social skills in children with developmental delays after parent participation in MBSR: The role of parent-child relational factors
Journal Name
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Journal Volume
24
Issue Number
10
Page Numbers
3117-3129
DOI
10.1007/s10826-015-0116-8
Summary
Having a child with a developmental disability can significantly increase parenting stress, which is associated with poorer child outcomes. This study investigated the association between mothers' involvement in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program and child outcomes. The mothers' participation in the MBSR program was associated with significant improvements in outcomes for both mothers themselves and their children.
Key Findings
Parents participating in the MBSR program experienced significantly less parental stress, depression, and child behavior problems and significantly greater life satisfaction after participation.
Children of parents who participated in the MBSR program showed increased social skills after the program finished, including greater self-control, assertion, empathy, and engagement.
Changes in children’s self-control were noted across mother, father, and teacher reports.
Implications for Military Professionals
Help parents of children with special needs to understand the benefits of mindfulness during day-to-day activities
Work with parents to identify resources that can reduce the amount of stress they may experience related to having a child with special needs
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide workshops to help Service members and their families develop skills to cultivate mindfulness
Develop classes that teach parents of children with special needs various methods of stress relief
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend training for professionals who work with military families regarding the stress faced by families with children with special needs
Continue to support the implementation of programs for military families that include an individual with special needs
Methods
Participants were recruited in California from a center through which they received services for their children with developmental disabilities.
Mothers completed questionnaires about parenting stress, child symptoms, and child social functioning before and after participating in an 8-week MBSR program. Fathers and teachers also completed questionnaires about child symptoms and social functioning at those times.
Changes in mothers’ well-being and children’s symptoms and social skills were compared before and after the intervention to examine any possible impact of the intervention.
Participants
Participants were 24 mothers of children with a developmental disability and behavioral problems.
Average age of the children (67% boys) was 3.4 years old (SD = .82); based on a symptom rating scale, 83% of the children were “very likely” to have a diagnosis of autism.
The sample was 33% White, 38% Latino, 8% Asian-American, and 21% reporting another race/ethnicity.
Limitations
A control group was not used, so it is unclear whether participation in the program caused the observed changes for mothers and children.
All participants were mothers; the same results may not extend to other caregivers’ participation in such programs.
Participants came from a geographically-limited area; individuals from other regions may experience different results from participation in such a program.
Avenues for Future Research
Employ the use of a control group to determine whether the intervention causes changes in outcomes for parents and children
Include mothers, fathers, and other caregivers in the intervention to examine whether results extend to these other groups
Examine the usefulness of this type of program for military families with children with special needs
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) often report significantly heightened levels of stress when compared to families of typically developing (TD) children. While elevated levels of early parenting stress are shown to negatively impact social development in TD children, this effect may be compounded for children with DD, who are already at greater risk of experiencing social difficulties. We sought to examine whether changes in child social skills occur after parent participation in mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention, and whether these changes were associated with parent_child relational factors. Parental stress was reduced through an 8-week MBSR training group. Changes in child social skills were measured using the social skills improvement system (SSIS), which was completed by 3 categories of respondents: parents participating in the study, a secondary informant, and the child’s teacher. Parent_child relational factors were measured using the parenting relationship questionnaire (PRQ). Data from 24 families of children with DD (ages 2.5_5) was examined in this study. Paired samples t-tests examining pre-post differences revealed that mothers, secondary informants, and teachers acknowledged improvements in child self-control. Mothers and teachers also reported improvements in empathy and engagement, while secondary informants and teachers reported improvements in child assertion. Teachers also reported improvements in children’s communication, responsibility, and cooperation. Variance in child self-control was significantly accounted for by changes in two parent_child relational factors: attachment and discipline practices. These results suggest that addressing parental mental health may enhance the efficacy of child-focused interventions by promoting parental consistency in discipline and perceived attachment (i.e. parent_child closeness).
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