Superiority of group counseling to individual coaching for parents of children with learning disabilities

Challenges and support needs of parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) in Accra, Ghana

BACKGROUND

Parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) have diverse challenges and needs. If met, these parents are able to provide adequate care for their children. Unfulfilled needs like information about their child's diagnosis, counselling, and poor access to informal and formal supports increase parental stress and hinder their potential to provide optimal care for their children and themselves.

AIMS

This study explores the unique challenges and needs of parents caring for children with DD in the Accra metropolis. This is the first study exploring the needs of parents in a Lower-middle income (LMIC) country like Ghana.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

A qualitative research design was adopted for this study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews from 9 parents of children with DD.

RESULTS

Findings from thematic analysis revealed five themes including; Emotional needs; Informational needs; Financial needs; Informal Support, and Formalized Support. Parents indicated their great need for information on their children's condition, support from family, religious groups, and other formalized institutions and how to provide better care.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Parents have several expectations and needs which must be addressed. Findings have the potential of influencing the design and development of appropriate interventions to meet the needs and improve the quality of life of parents of children with DD in the Ghanaian context.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Examining Standard, Intensive, and Group Adaptations

This study examined the cost-effectiveness of standard parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and three adaptations: intensive-PCIT (I-PCIT), small group PCIT, and large group PCIT. This study used cost-effectiveness analyses to calculate average cost-effectiveness ratios, which represents the average cost for one family to change one standard deviation on each outcome measure: externalizing behavior problems, positive parenting skills, negative parenting skills, child compliance, and parenting stress. While it had the lowest initial set up cost, results indicated that standard PCIT was the least cost-effective option in reducing child disruptive behaviors and in increasing child compliance. Large group PCIT was the most cost-effective in increasing positive parenting skills and child compliance and in reducing negative parenting skills and parenting stress. I-PCIT was the most cost-effective in reducing child disruptive behaviors and the second most cost-effective option in increasing positive parenting skills and child compliance and in decreasing negative parenting. As large group and I-PCIT were the most cost-effective in different domains, both could be recommended to parents as treatment options. Future research should confirm our cost-effective results within community settings.

Individual Versus Group Physical Therapy for Patients with Low Back Pain: Outcomes and Process (Therapeutic Factors)

Low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem usually treated individually, and requires costly physical therapy. Group treatment, besides being cost-effective, provides psychological support to the recovery of people who struggle with a physically disabling condition. The current study compares individual and group treatment of LBP, measuring differences in outcomes and process data (therapeutic factors). The study included 158 patients who participated in group (n = 71) and individual (n = 87) physical therapy, using a pre-post-follow-up design. Results indicated a significant improvement in all outcome measures at postintervention in both treatment settings, with no difference between them, which were sustained at follow-up. On a clinical level, a few differences were found: At postintervention, minimal clinically important improvement in perceived functioning and level of pain was greater among patients treated individually. On the other hand, at follow-up, only group participants gained additionally in perceived functioning and in fear avoidance. Therapeutic factors of other- versus self-focus and problem definition-change were more prevalent in group treatment.

Manual-Based Personalized Intervention for Mothers of Children With SLD/ADHD: Effects on Maternal and Family Resources and Children's Internalizing/Externalizing Behaviors

Objective: This study explored manual-based personalized intervention for mothers of children with SLD and/or ADHD, as possibly contributing to (a) mothers' parenting-related emotional/coping resources, (b) family functioning, and (c) child adjustment, compared with a control group of mothers. Method: Participants were 73 mothers of a child formally diagnosed with SLD and/or ADHD ages 7-17. Mothers were assigned to an experimental (n=40) or control (n=33) group. Short-term intervention utilized a three-stage emotion-cognition-behavior model. Pre-post assessments included maternal affective resources (positive/negative affect, parenting stress), maternal coping resources (general coping strategies, coping specifically with diagnosed child's negative emotions), family cohesion/adaptability, and diagnosed child's externalizing/internalizing syndromes. Results: Significant interactions emerged between group (experimental/control) and time (pre/post) for most study variables. Conclusion: Findings clearly revealed the intervention's significant impact. Only the trained mothers demonstrated significant gains over time for most of the maternal, family, and child indices, whereas the untrained mothers did not.

Why Do People Prefer Individual Therapy Over Group Therapy?

The current study aims to identify the reason people avoid group therapy despite its recognized effectiveness. Participants were 224 university students, men and women from two ethnic groups (Jewish and Arab) in Israel. We asked them to mark their preference for individual or group therapy on a 7-point scale and add five arguments in favor and against each type of therapy. Results verified the tendency to prefer individual over group therapy, with minor gender or ethnic effects. Participant arguments indicated accuracy in identifying the strength of group therapy, but various fears limit their enthusiasm about group therapy. The discussion focuses on possible ways to overcome those fears.