Family systems programs Family syst

Family systems programs Family systems programs follow a systems approach in that they most commonly focus on parents’ internal variables,such as stress, depression, or coping, based on the assumption that changes in those variables will affect the quality of parenting. Singer and colleagues(2007) conducted a meta-analysis examining the primary and secondary effects of parenting and stress management interventions for parents of children with developmental disabilities. Among the 17 studies with experimental or quasi-experimental designs that qualified for the analysis based on the quality of their research methodology, the authors identified threeclasses of interventions: behavioral parent training (i.e., teaching parents behavior management skills); coping skills interventions, based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy; and a combination of the two. They found that interventions in all three groups had significant effects on reducing psychological distress among mothers and fathers of children with developmental disabilities. In a randomized controlled trial involving 70 families of children with ASD, for example, Tonge and colleagues (2006) provided parent education and behavior management training in group and individual sessions. They found significantly positive outcomes for parents on the General Health Questionnaire postintervention and in follow-up.Feldman and Werner (2002) provided behavior management training with follow-up over a 3- to 6-month period for parents of children with developmental delays and found significantly lower levels of depression for parents randomized into the treatment group. In their summary, Singer and colleagues (2007) note that interventions occurring over a longer period of time and having multiple components (e.g., those that address parents’ well-being as well as parenting skills) produced greater reductions in parental stress relative to those of shorter duration and a simpler design.