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Exploring individual parent-to-parent support interventions for parents caring for children with brain-based
Amber Postma1, Marjolijn Ketelaar2,3, Justus van Nispen Tot Sevenaer1
1Department of Psychiatry and Brain Centre, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Individual peer-to-peer support (iP2PS) positively impacts parents of children with brain-based developmental disabilities (BBDDs), improving well-being and quality of life. Further research is needed to optimize iP2PS interventions for these families.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Brain-based developmental disabilities (BBDDs) encompass a wide range of disorders, including autism and cerebral palsy.
- Parents of children with BBDDs experience significant stress and mental health challenges.
- Peer-based support shows promise for assisting parents facing similar challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of individual peer-to-peer support (iP2PS) interventions on parents of children with BBDDs.
- To identify facilitators and challenges associated with iP2PS for this population.
Main Methods:
- An extensive literature search was conducted in January 2023.
- Thematic analysis was employed to synthesize findings from relevant studies.
Main Results:
- iP2PS positively impacts parents' emotional, psychological well-being, and quality of life.
- Key themes include the benefits and burdens of providing support, matching parent pairs, logistical considerations, and the need for training and supervision.
Conclusions:
- iP2PS enhances the well-being and quality of life for parents caring for children with BBDDs.
- Further research is required to define optimal iP2PS styles, tailor support, and establish training protocols.
- Effective iP2PS could potentially be integrated into standard care practices for families with BBDDs.
Background:
Brain-based developmental disabilities (BBDDs) comprise a large and heterogeneous group of disorders including autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy or genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders. Parents caring for a child with BBDD face multiple challenges that cause increased stress and high risk of mental health problems. Peer-based support by fellow parents for a various range of patient groups has shown potential to provide emotional, psychological and practical support. Here, we aim to explore existing literature on individual peer-to-peer support (iP2PS) interventions for parents caring for children with BBDD with a view to (1) explore the impact of iP2PS interventions on parents and (2) identify challenges and facilitators of iP2PS.
Method:
An extensive literature search (January 2023) was performed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to synthesize findings.
Results:
Fourteen relevant articles revealed three major themes regarding the impact of iP2PS on parents: (1) emotional and psychological well-being, (2) quality of life and (3) practical issues. Four themes were identified describing challenges and facilitators of iP2PS: (1) benefits and burden of giving support, (2) matching parent-pairs, (3) logistic challenges and solutions and (4) training and supervision of parents providing peer support.
Conclusions:
This review revealed that iP2PS has a positive impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of parents, as well as the overall quality of life for families caring for a child with a BBDD. Individual P2PS offers peer-parents an opportunity to support others who are facing challenges similar to those they have experienced themselves. However, many questions still need to be addressed regarding benefits of different iP2PS styles, methods of tailoring support to individual needs and necessity of training and supervision for peer support providers. Future research should focus on defining these components and evaluating benefits to establish effective iP2PS that can be provided as standard care practice for parents.
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