Preliminary Findings of an Intervention Program for Parents of Young Children with a Developmental Delay: Investigation of Parental Stress and Sense of Competence

Abstract

Behavioural problems in young children can be detrimental to the psychological well-being of their parents. The present study examined the effectiveness of a newly developed intervention in improving parental stress and parenting sense of competence for parents of young children with a developmental delay (DD), presenting with behavioural problems. The sample comprised 15 parents and 1 grandparent of children, aged between 2 and 5 years, with DD. Parents completed a questionnaire package at pre-intervention and post-intervention, including measures to assess parent stress and sense of competence. Paired sample t-tests revealed a significant decline at post-intervention in the total frequency of hassles associated with raising a child with DD, as well as reductions in stress associated with parents' needs. General stress and parenting sense of competence showed no significant post-intervention improvements. Correlation analyses revealed a negative relationship between parent stress and sense of competence, at pre-intervention and post-intervention. It was concluded that the intervention was useful for reducing the overall frequency of stress and the stress associated with the needs of parents raising a young child with DD. Findings have implications for the development of parental supports by early childhood intervention practitioners. Due to a number of methodological limitations, suggestions were made for future research.