Narrative Therapy for Mothers of Children with ID

This study examined the effectiveness of narrative therapy in reducing parental self-blame (PSB) and enhancing parental self-efficacy (PSE) among mothers of children with intellectual disabilities (ID). A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up was implemented with 30 participants randomly assigned to either the narrative therapy group or a no-intervention control group (n = 15 per group). Participants completed the Parental Self-Blame Scale and the Brief Parental Self-Efficacy Scale at three time points. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Results indicated significant time and group interactions for both PSB (Pillai’s Trace = 0.45, p < .001, partial η² = .45) and PSE (Pillai’s Trace = 0.46, p < .001, partial η² = .46). The narrative therapy group demonstrated substantial reductions in parental self-blame and increases in parental self-efficacy, with effects sustained at follow-up. These findings highlight the potential of narrative therapy as a culturally sensitive and empowering intervention for caregivers of children with ID. The findings suggest that narrative therapy effectively mitigates self-blame by externalizing disability-related challenges and fosters self-efficacy through empowering narrative reconstruction.