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Impact of Parent Training on Parental Competence and Parental Stress
Objectives: This presentation reports on the measures of self-perceived parental competence and parental stress before and after six months of PT compared to six months of PEP.
Methods: The 17-item Parental Sense of Competence (PSC) asks parents to report on self-efficacy in the parenting role. Parental stress was measured by the 36-item Parent Stress Index (PSI) and the 21-item Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CSQ). These measures were collected at baseline and endpoint (6 months).
Results: At baseline, mean PSI and CSQ total scores were elevated in the study sample as a whole (PSI = 104.5; CGS = 32.0). PSC total score was low (62.4 of possible 102). These results suggest that parenting a child with ASD and disruptive behavior is a major challenge. Compared to PEP, PT significantly reduced scores on the CSQ and increased scores on PSC (effect sizes 0.50; p < 0.5 for both). PSI scores improved in both PT and PEP groups (effect size 0.27 in favor of PT; p not significant). Within the PT-treated group, we had complete data on the CGI-I and parent measures for 80 of 89 subjects. Children rated as much improved or very much improved (n=61) on the CGI-I had significant reductions in parental stress on the PSI and CSQ when compared to children rated as non-responders (n=19) (effect sizes 0.63; p values 0.004 and 0.02, respectively). Parents of positive responders showed an increase on the PSC compared to non-responders (effect size 0.4; p value 0.06). Results of exploratory analyses on the correlations of the PSC and parental stress measures at baseline and endpoint will also be presented.
Conclusions: These results suggest that PT reduces parental stress and enhances self-perceived parental competence.
See more of: Interventions - Non-pharmacologic - Preschool