Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Decreasing Stress For Parents Of Special Needs Children Through A Web-Based Mindfulness Program: A Pilot Study, Elizabeth J. Shaffer, Jennifer E. Lape, Joyce Salls

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Parents often experience moderate to severe levels of stress due to the challenges of raising a child with special needs. Previous research has proven that excessive parental stress negatively impacts both the parent and child’s health. However, few organizations have been identified which offer intervention programs focusing directly on decreasing parental stress. This pilot study investigates the effectiveness of a 6-week online mindfulness-based course in reducing stress experienced by parents of children with special needs. Method: A pre-test, post-test pilot design, as well as a participatory action approach, were employed to determine the impact of the online mindfulness-based course …