The efficacy of self-determination skills training on the psychological well-being and resilience of mothers of children with down syndrome

The theory of self-determination encompasses a wide range of individual and social abilities in individuals. However, there is a research gap in examining the effectiveness of this type of program on psychological well-being and resilience of mothers of children with Down syndrome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of self-determination skills training on psychological well-being and resilience of mothers of children with Down syndrome.

The present study is a quasi-experimental study that in which 35 mothers were selected from the population of mothers with children with Down syndrome in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province using the available sampling method. The self-determination skills training intervention (Field and Hoffman, 1994) was performed in 10 sessions of 60 minutes for the experimental group. The research tools included a psychological well-being and repentance questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS-22 software.

The results showed that self-determination skills training had a significant effect on increasing psychological well-being (p = 0.001) and increasing resilience (p = 0.031) of mothers of children with Down syndrome.

The present study showed that self-determination training affects psychological well-being and resilience. Accordingly, by providing the context of self-determination training in caregivers of children with Down syndrome, they can be promoted to enhance mental health in the process of child care.