Background and Aim: This study investigates the impact of mindfulness intervention on parents’ attitudes towards parenting children with special needs. Recognizing the challenges faced by these parents, the study aims to determine whether mindfulness-based strategies can enhance parenting practices and attitudes across multiple dimensions.
Methods: This study employs a quasi-experimental design with a pre/post-test setup and a control group. Through convenience sampling, 60 parents in Tehran, each with a child aged 6-10 with special needs, were selected. The sample was divided into a test group (30 parents) and a control group (30 parents). The test group underwent an 8-week mindfulness intervention program based on the protocol by Bogels and Restifi (2013). Parents’ attitudes were measured before and after the intervention using a scale developed by Parent and Forehand (2017), covering seven dimensions.
Results: The findings indicate a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores across all seven dimensions for the test group, with mean scores significantly higher in the post-test stage compared to the control group. The effect sizes for the treatment intervention were 0.455 for hostility, 0.431 for physical control, 0.391 for lax control, 0.652 for proactive parenting, 0.502 for positive reinforcement, 0.449 for warmth, and 0.612 for supportiveness. The multivariate variance analysis showed that 85.2% of the changes in parenting components in the test group were due to the mindfulness intervention.
Conclusions: The mindfulness intervention significantly improved parenting attitudes and practices among parents of children with special needs. The substantial effect size highlights the intervention’s potential in promoting positive parenting behaviors. These findings suggest that integrating mindfulness strategies can be an effective approach to support parents, enhancing their ability to manage parenting challenges and improve the overall well-being of both parents and children. Further research with larger, diverse samples and longitudinal designs is recommended to confirm and extend these results.