تعطیلات نوروزی مجله- ضمن تبریک فرارسیدن بهار و شروع سال جدید به اطلاع میرساند این نشریه از تاریخ ۲۵ اسفندماه ۱۴۰۲ لغایت ۱۳ فروردین ۱۴۰۳ تعطیل می باشد.

Volume 12 - Articles-1401                   MEJDS (2022) 12: 247 | Back to browse issues page


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Karami Nejad R, Afrooz G, Shokoohi Yekta M, Ghobari Bonab B, Hasanzadeh S. Developing and Evaluating Compassion-Based Positive Training Program for Parents of Infants with Down Syndrome and Its Effectiveness on Parents’ Psychological Well-Being. MEJDS 2022; 12 :247-247
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-1685-en.html
1- PhD Student in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Department of Psychology and Education, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
2- Distinguished Professor of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
3- Professor of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
4- Associate Professor of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (2201 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: The birth of a child with special needs is a stressful experience and challenging for the family that can affect the physical and mental health of the parents. Given the key role of parents in the care, education and supervision of children with intellectual disabilities, timely intervention and assistance to parents in discovering coping resources, especially internal coping resources, is essential. One of the most effective interventions in this area is Positive Psychology, proposed by Seligman in 2000. Positive psychology, as a meta–diagnostic intervention, emphasizes promoting well–being and prosperity rather than addressing weaknesses. The purpose of this study was to design a compassion–based positive education program for parents of children with Down syndrome and evaluate its effectiveness on parental psychological well–being.
Methods: This study was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest design and follow–up with a control group. The study’s statistical population included parents of children with Down syndrome less than 2 years old. The study was conducted in February 2019. Due to the limited population, 17 couples of infants with Down Syndrome who were accessible and willing to participate in the study were included from the three cities of Yazd, Meybod, and Ardakan, Yazd Province, Iran. They were identified by the Welfare Organization of Yazd Province and presented to the researcher. Of whom, 14 families were selected according to the inclusion criteria and matched based on their level of education and socioeconomic status. Then they were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. For data collection, we used Psychological Well–Being Scale (Ryff, 1989). The intervention program used in this research was designed by the researchers based on Martin Seligman (2011). The results of research in the field of positive psychology were designed according to the five core elements of psychological well–being: positive emotions, engagement, interest, meaning, and purpose. This program was adapted to cultural characteristics. A different and innovative feature of the present study was the use of compassion as a form and explanation of positive psychology exercises and activities from the perspective of compassion (Gilbert, 2019). The intervention included 14 sessions (one session per week). Both groups underwent three stages of evaluation: pretest, posttest and 3 months follow–up. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage) were used to describe the data. Then the data analysis was done using the analysis of variance test with repeated measurement of multiple variables and pairwise comparison test in SPSS version 20 software. The significance level was set at 0.05.
Results: The results showed a significant difference between the two groups in the psychological well–being scores after the intervention (p=0.001). The results of pairwise comparisons showed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the pretest with posttest and the pretest with follow–up of the experimental group (p=0.001). Also, the mean scores of the posttest phase are not significantly different from the mean scores of the follow–up phase for the experimental group, which indicates the persistence of the effects of the intervention and its effectiveness during the quarterly follow–up period (p=0.080). Examination of the subscales of the Psychological Well–Being Scale showed that the independent variable of compassion–based positivity education could make a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the meaningful life subscale (p=0.045). But in other subscales including mastery of the environment (p=0.081), positive relationships (p=0.081), self–acceptance (p=0.133), and personal growth (p=0.051), the differences observed in different stages between the two groups were not significant.
Conclusion: According to the result of this study, a positive education program for parents of children with Down syndrome can improve their psychological well–being.

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Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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