The Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interactive Therapy on Parenting Stress and Parenting Self-efficacy of Mothers of Children With Learning Disabilities

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of parent-child interactive therapy on parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy in mothers of children with learning disabilities. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 5 mothers of male students with learning disabilities in Maragheh city Learning Disabilities Center in the academic year of 2018-2019 were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received two parent-child interactive treatments during 2 two-hour sessions. Data collection tools included a parenting stress questionnaire and a parenting self-efficacy questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multiple analyses of covariance in SPSS software v. 23. After controlling for pre-test effects, there was a significant difference between the mean post-test scores in parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy variables (P<0.01). Results: The results showed increased self-efficacy and decreased parenting stress in the experimental group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Parent-child interaction training affects mothers’ self-efficacy and parenting stress in students with learning disabilities, and it is recommended that parents design educational sessions.