Enhancing the coping skills of mothers with developmentally delayed children

Recent studies have shown that mothers of developmentally delayed children are at risk for depression. During weekly psychoeducational group meetings, Roy's adaptation model was used to identify the focal, contextual, and residual stimuli that contributed to the mothers' depression. Nursing interventions that encouraged adaptation in the four modes were implemented by group facilitators providing parent education and emotional support. Implications for nurses in a variety of settings are given.