Designing and Validating a Mentalization Training Package Based on the Mothers' Lived Experiences with Their Children with Learning Disabilities

Fallah Tafti, Abolfazl; Dehghan Menshadi , Mariyeh; Fallah, Mohamad Hossein; Sedrposhan , Najmeh; Azizi , Mohsen

Volume 15 - Articles-1404 MEJDS (2025) 15: 42 | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.IAU.YAZD.REC.1401.052

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Fallah Tafti A, Dehghan Menshadi M, Fallah M H, Sedrposhan N, Azizi M. Designing and Validating a Mentalization Training Package Based on the Mothers' Lived Experiences with Their Children with Learning Disabilities. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :42-42
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3416-en.html

Designing and Validating a Mentalization Training Package Based on the Mothers' Lived Experiences with Their Children with Learning Disabilities

Abolfazl Fallah Tafti¹

, Mariyeh Dehghan Menshadi ^*²

, Mohamad Hossein Fallah³

, Najmeh Sedrposhan²

, Mohsen Azizi⁴

1- PhD Student in Counseling, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran
4- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ashkezar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashkezar, Iran

Abstract: (566 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Learning disabilities encompass a wide range of educational problems, and to fully understand them, it seems essential to pay attention to the child's social, family, emotional, and behavioral situations. Children with learning disabilities have a significant effect on the lives of mothers as the main caregivers. On the other hand, mothers' problems have a negative impact on mother-child relationships and reduce their psychological well-being. The type of reaction that mothers show when faced with the disorder and behaviors of their children depends on their capacity for mentalization. Mothers' lived experiences play an important role in managing learning disabilities; however, no research in Iran has directly addressed mentalization training based on mothers' lived experiences with children with learning disabilities. Also, mothers are considered the main pillar of balance, peace, and excellence in the family and society system, and their involvement in managing learning disabilities can play a special role. This research aimed to design and validate a mentalization educational package based on the lived experiences of mothers with children with learning disabilities.
Methods: The current research employed a mixed design with phenomenological (qualitative) and descriptive-analytical (quantitative) methods. The main goal of the phenomenology method is to understand the main structure of human experienced phenomena and to achieve the conceptual depth of lived experiences. What is important in this method is the experience of people and their interpretation of those experiences. In phenomenological research, the analyzed experiences of different people are compared to identify the essence of that phenomenon (17). The statistical population includes all mothers with children with learning disabilities in elementary school, in the academic year of 2021-2022, in Yazd City, Iran. Of these, 15 people were selected and included in the study based on the level of theoretical saturation. Data collection was done in the form of semi-structured interviews and classification of extracted concepts. To comply with research ethics, all participants were assured that their information would remain confidential. In the qualitative part, seven-step Colaizzi's method (1978) was used to analyze the data. To validate the qualitative findings, the data were collected by specialists and therapists in the field of learning disorders with a minimum of 10 years experience, who were selected based on theoretical saturation in the number of 10 people, with the Lawshe method (to convert qualitative content into quantity), including two quantitative indicators of validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were revised and approved. After extracting the information from experts' opinions and after analysis, the final package of mentalization-based training was compiled.
Results: The interview results revealed that issues related to children, parents, and school are the three primary areas of concern regarding learning disorders. Categories of academic resilience; child's negative emotions, ; academic and learning problems, ; behavioral problems, ; cognitive problems, lack of interest and motivation; interaction with the teacher and school; conflict and disagreement of couples regarding child's learning; mother's lack of knowledge; comparing; future social concern; parent-child guilt; negative interaction with children; children's negative emotions; mothers' perfectionism; and non-acceptance of individual differences and the involvement of others are the most important categories related to the main areas of learning disorder problems. The findings showed that according to Lawshe's method, with the minimum acceptable value of 0.62 for CVR and 0.75 for CVI, all the content, objectives, and description of the sessions of the mentalization training package in the form of 15 sessions are valid.
Conclusion: Based on the research findings, the content and goals of the mentalization training package sessions based on the lived experiences of mothers of children with learning disability are appropriate and useful for educating parents of these children.

Keywords: Training mentalization, Learning disability, Mothers

Full-Text [PDF 339 kb] (40 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

References

1. Goudie A, Havercamp S, Jamieson B, Sahr T. Assessing functional impairment in siblings living with children with disability. Pediatrics. 2013;132(2):e476–83. [DOI]

2. Gupta RK, Kaur H. Stress among parents of children with intellectual disability. Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal. 2018;21(2):118–26.

3. Garelli C, Wendland J. Parental mentalizing ability, self-consciousness, and parenting stress in mothers of children aged one to four. Devenir. 2017;29(2):105–23. [DOI]

4. Steinmair D, Richter F, Löffler-Stastka H. Relationship between mentalizing and working conditions in health care. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(7):2420. [DOI]

5. Fernández-Alcántara M, Correa-Delgado C, Muñoz Á, Salvatierra MT, Fuentes-Hélices T, Laynez-Rubio C. Parenting a child with a learning disability: a qualitative approach. Int J Disabil Dev Educ. 2017;64(5):526–43. [DOI]

6. Fonagy P, Target M. Attachment and reflective function: their role in self-organization. Dev Psychopathol. 1997;9(4):679–700. [DOI]

7. Hughes C, Aldercotte A, Foley S. Maternal mind-mindedness provides a buffer for pre-adolescents at risk for disruptive behavior. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2017;45(2):225–35. [DOI]

8. Laurenssen EMP, Luyten P, Kikkert MJ, Westra D, Peen J, Soons MBJ, et al. Day hospital mentalization-based treatment v. specialist treatment as usual in patients with borderline personality disorder: randomized controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2018;48(15):2522–9. [DOI]

9. Keen D, Couzens D, Muspratt S, Rodger S. The effects of a parent-focused intervention for children with a recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on parenting stress and competence. Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2010;4(2):229–41. [DOI]

10. Vidyadharan V, Tharayil HM. Learning disorder or learning disability: time to rethink. Indian J Psychol Med. 2019;41(3):276–8. [DOI]

11. Azimi S, Saberi H, Bagheri F. Investigating the efficacy of training based on mentalization and positive thinking on the savoring beliefs of parents with children with autism. Journal of Psychological Science. 2023;22(131):19–38. [Persian] [Article]

12. Sharp C, Fonagy P. The parent's capacity to treat the child as a psychological agent: constructs, measures and implications for developmental psychopathology. Social Development. 2008;17(3):737–54. [DOI]

13. Babaei Nadinluei K, Fatehi Bostanabad F. Investigating the role of mindfulness in the relationship between children's psychological problems (internalizing and externalizing problems) and the perceived stress of Bostan Abad mothers in 2018: a descriptive study. Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2020;18(11):1083–1102. [Persian] [Article]

14. Yang T, Wang Y, Xu P, Tao Y. The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in improving the mental health of parents of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Autism Dev Disord. 2025. [DOI]

15. Santelices MP, Cortés PA. Mentalization and parental stress: how do they predict mother-child interactions? Children (Basel). 2022;9(2):280. [DOI]

16. Chenari M. A comparison between Husserl, Heidegger and Gadamer with the criterion of methodology. Journal of Philosophical Theological Research. 2008;9(2):113–38. [Persian] [Article]

17. Colaizzi PF. Psychological research as a phenomenologist views it. In: Valle RS, King M. editoes. Existential-phenomenological alternatives for psychology. New York: Oxford University Press; 1978. pp. 48-71.

18. Lawshe CH. A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology. 1975;28:563-75. [DOI]

19. Mikaeili N, Esmaeili M. Comparison theory of mind and executive function in the students with learning disabilities and normal. Psychology of Exceptional Individuals. 2016;6(21):81–100. [Persian] [Article]

20. Nakhli M, Ahmadi S, Asadpour I. The impact of mentalization-based therapy on improving the mother-child relationship and secure attachment in children. Family and Research. 2022;19(3):45–62. [Persian] [Article]

21. Noresideh Z. Investigating the effect of mentalization on academic delay in elementary school children with learning disabilities. In: The 5th National Innovation and Research Conference in Psychology, Law and Cultural Management [Internet]. Tehran, 2022.

22. Bayrami M, Esmaeilpour Kh, Shadbafi M. Designing and evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based training package on procrastination, self-efficacy and academic motivation of children with sluggish cognitive tempo. Cognit Strateg Learn. 2024;12(22):107–26. [Persian]

23. Griffiths H, Duffy F, Duffy L, Brown S, Hockaday H, Eliasson E, et al. Efficacy of mentalization-based group therapy for adolescents: the results of a pilot randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2019;167. [DOI]

24. Bateman A, Fonagy P. Mentalization-based treatment for borderline and antisocial personality disorder. In: Kealy D, Ogrodniczuk JS; editors. Contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy. Elsevier; 2019. [DOI]

25. Rutherford HJV, Goldberg B, Luyten P, Bridgett DJ, Mayes LC. Parental reflective functioning is associated with tolerance of infant distress but not general distress: evidence for a specific relationship using a simulated baby paradigm. Infant Behav Dev. 2013;36(4):635–41. [DOI]

26. Vidyadharan V, Tharayil HM. Learning disorder or learning disability: time to rethink. Indian J Psychol Med. 2019;41(3):276–8. ‌ [DOI]