Online group course for parents with mental illness: development and pilot study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Online Interventions

Background:

• Children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) face increased risk for mental health disorders.
• Impaired parenting skills are a key factor in COPMI risk.
• An accessible, anonymous online group course (KopOpOuders) was developed to support these parents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the design and methods of the KopOpOuders online group course.
• To evaluate the pilot study's outcomes on parenting skills, parental competence, child well-being, and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study with a pre/post design.
• Assessed parenting skills (PS), parental sense of competence (OOO), and child well-being (SDQ).
• Used paired samples t tests and Cohen's d for statistical analysis; satisfaction evaluated via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in parenting skills (PS) and parental sense of competence (OOO) were observed (moderate to large effect sizes).
• Baseline clinical range scores for parenting problems decreased significantly post-intervention.
• No significant changes in child well-being were detected; satisfaction scores were high (7.8/10).

Conclusions:

• The online group course is an innovative e-support for parents with mental illness.
• Pilot results demonstrate promising improvements in parenting skills and competence.
• Parents were reached early in their parenting difficulties, indicating intervention potential.