Development of a Mindfulness-Based Coping with Stress Group for Parents of Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities

It is well recognized that parenting children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD) is associated with stress, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Given the unique challenges that parents of adults with IDD face, it is important to explore interventions that are helpful for this population. This paper describes the development of a mindfulness-based coping with stress group intervention targeted toward such parents and presents some preliminary outcomes. Following a 4-week pilot group of ten parents, we held three consecutive 6-week groups for parents. Of the 30 parents initially registered to participate in the 6-week groups, 22 (73.3 %) attended over half of the weekly 2-h sessions and completed pre and post measures. Over half (63.3 %) of the parents who completed the intervention reported a significant reduction in stress, and the overall mean stress level was significantly lower following the intervention, t(21) = 5.15, p < 0.01. Parents did not report significant change in mindfulness or mindful parenting scores, however. This is the first study to describe a mindfulness-based group targeted specifically toward parents of adolescents and adults with IDD. Results suggest that it proved feasible and was associated with reduced feelings of stress.