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Ethics code: IR.IAU.KHUISF.REC.1400.345

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Talebzadeh Sani H, Faramarzi S, Nadi M. Investigating the Effect of a Positive Educational Package Based on Communication Patterns, Psychological Well-being, and Authoritative Parenting on the Happiness and Quality of Life of Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :1-1
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3358-en.html
Investigating the Effect of a Positive Educational Package Based on Communication Patterns, Psychological Well-being, and Authoritative Parenting on the Happiness and Quality of Life of Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disabilities
Hadi Talebzadeh Sani1 , Salar Faramarzi *2 , MohammadAli Nadi3
1- PhD Candidate in Educational Psychology, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
3- Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract:   (164 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Families of children with intellectual disabilities experience significant stress. Positivity can improve the quality of life of parents of children with intellectual disabilities and promote happiness. Positive psychology is a scientific discipline that examines the conditions and processes that enable groups and individuals to flourish or perform optimally. On the other hand, one of the components of positive psychology that plays a major role in family interactions and parental happiness is parenting style. Another component of positive psychology is communication patterns that affect family happiness and efficiency. Another component of positivity that affects parental happiness is psychological well–being. Another critical factor affecting the lives of mothers of children with intellectual disabilities is quality of life. Quality of life has two general subscales: physical health and mental health. Children with intellectual disabilities cause a decrease in the happiness and quality of life of their mothers due to their intellectual, cognitive, and emotional deficiencies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a positive educational package on the happiness and quality of life of mothers with children with intellectual disabilities.
Methods: The study was quasi–experimental with a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population comprised all mothers with mentally retarded children living in Birjand City, Iran. Mothers were identified based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from the non–governmental welfare centers and vocational training centers for the disabled. The inclusion criteria for participating mothers included being a volunteer, having a child with an intellectual disability, and being able to use a smartphone or computer system. The exclusion criteria included dissatisfaction with participating in sessions and missing more than two sessions of the positive thinking training program. Among the eligible people, 30 people were randomly selected. Then, they were placed in two groups of 15 people: experimental and control. The experimental group received positive training in 15 sessions. The control group did not receive training during this period and only participated in the pretest and posttest with the experimental group. The positive training package was taught to mothers of children with intellectual disabilities online for 15 sessions through a virtual training system. In addition, the mothers asked their questions and received answers through a virtual group formed on WhatsApp. The training was held three sessions per week and lasted 90 minutes. The training was conducted by the first author of this article and two experts. In this research, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Hills & Argyle, 2002) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Ware & Sherbourne, 1992) were used. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics, the covariance analysis method was used at a significance level of 0.05 in software SPSS version 24.
Results: In the present study, all participants were female. The mean and standard deviation of the age of participants in the experimental group was 37.40±6.59 years, and in the control group was 37.73±6.92 years. The subjects in the experimental group had an average of 2.46 children, and in the control group, 2.60. Results showed that positive education significantly affected increasing quality of life (p=0.003) and happiness (p=0.005) in mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. The effect sizes of positive education on the quality of life and happiness were 0.280 and 0.253, respectively.
Conclusion: According to the research findings, positive education based on communication patterns, psychological well–being, and authoritative parenting styles helps mothers of children with intellectual disabilities to be optimistic about the future and have more happiness and quality.

Keywords: Intellectual disability, Quality of life, Happiness, Positivity, Communication patterns, Psychological well–being, Authoritative parenting
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Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology
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