The study aims to investigate the state anxiety of parents of special needs children during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic and the influence of parental stress, social support, and ...other related variables on the anxiety of parents.
Bespoke questionnaires of children's and parent's mental and behavioral problems during the epidemic were used in the study. We also used the State Anxiety Inventory (S-AI), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form-15 (PSI-SF-15), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The data used in the study were pooled from an online survey of parents of special needs children and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression.
Overall, 1,451 individuals were included, of which 402 were fathers (27.71%) and 1,049 were mothers (72.29%). ANOVA results showed that educational background, family monthly income, and type of their child's disability made parents' state anxiety significantly different. The results of multiple linear regression showed that during the epidemic, social support negatively predicted parents' state anxiety (
= -0.15,
< 0.001), whereas parenting stress (
= 0.07,
= 0.001) and parental mental and behavioral problems (
= 0.37,
< 0.001) positively predicted parents' state anxiety.
During the outbreak of COVID-19, parents of special needs children suffered mental and behavioral problems, together with parenting stress and social support, which influenced their state anxiety. These findings can be used to develop relevant psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups during a pandemic like COVID-19.
Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of computer-based and online rehabilitation therapy in managing depression and anxiety among Jordanian parents of children with ...special needs as well as explore the underlying psychodynamic mechanisms involved in the therapeutic process.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The sample size consisted of 337 participants who were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (receiving computer-based and online rehabilitation therapy) or the control group (receiving traditional therapy). Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires assessing depression and anxiety levels as well as psychodynamic variables such as defense mechanisms and attachment styles.
Findings: The relationship between the variables was examined by Partial least squares (PLS) analysis. Results indicated that computer-based and online rehabilitation therapy was effective in reducing levels of depression and anxiety among Jordanian parents of children with special needs to facilitate changes in defense mechanisms and attachment styles indicating the involvement of psychodynamic processes in the therapeutic process.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that computer-based and online rehabilitation therapy may be a valuable resource for managing depression and anxiety in Jordanian parents of children with special needs and provide insight into the underlying mechanisms involved in psychodynamic therapy.
Research Implications: The field of psychological counselling is being advanced by the current research which has several theoretical and practical implications. This study is significant because it provides key policy insights on how to enhance attractiveness. Research efforts when developing programs need to be in line with technical advancements.
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