Impact of Pivotal Response Training Group Therapy on Stress and Empowerment in Parents of Children With Autism

Parents of children with autism are increasingly being considered as primary agents of intervention for their children. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether participating in a pivotal response training (PRT) group therapy program for parents of children with autism influenced related aspec...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of positive behavior interventions 2013-04, Vol.15 (2), p.71-78
Main Authors: Minjarez, Mendy Boettcher, Mercier, Emma M., Williams, Sharon E., Hardan, Antonio Y.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
California
Child Rearing
Childrens health
Communication Problems
Communication Strategies
Coping
Family Environment
Group Therapy
Language Impairments
Language Skills
Neurology
Parent Education
Parenting Stress Index
Parenting Styles
Parents & parenting
Pretests Posttests
Program Effectiveness
Responses
Stress
Stress Management
Stress Variables
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Parents of children with autism are increasingly being considered as primary agents of intervention for their children. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether participating in a pivotal response training (PRT) group therapy program for parents of children with autism influenced related aspects of parents’ lives, namely, their levels of stress and empowerment. Seventeen families participated in a 10-week therapy group designed to train parents to use PRT, with a specific focus on their children’s language deficits. Measures of empowerment and stress were obtained at baseline and at the end of the trial. Ratings on the Parenting Stress Index/Short Form and the Family Empowerment Scale showed significant changes from pre- to posttreatment, indicating that parents felt higher levels of empowerment and lower levels of stress after the 10-week group program. Notably, stress related to parent–child interactions was most reduced. Possible causal factors and implications are discussed.
ISSN:1098-3007
1538-4772
DOI:10.1177/1098300712449055