Effects of a Self-Growing Program Based on the Ecological System Theory for Parenting Stress and Posttraumatic Growth of Middle-aged Women with Adolescent Children

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a self-growing program (SGP) based on the Ecological System Theory on parenting stress and posttraumatic growth of middle-aged women with adolescent children.Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group and a pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 82 middle-aged women, living in two cities, with adolescent children who had experienced parenting stress from July 2019 to October 2019. The experimental group (n=40) received 10 SGP sessions for 5 weeks. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 program for descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, Independent t-test, Friedman test, and Mann-Whitney U test.Results: The SGP was effective against parenting stress (F=240.49, <i>p</i><.001) and posttraumatic growth (<i>x</i>²=70.96, <i>p</i><.001) of middle-aged women with adolescent children.Conclusion: The findings revealed that the SGP can be an effective intervention to reduce parenting stress and increase the self-growth of middle-aged women. Therefore, the SGP could be a nursing intervention to support the self-growth of middle-aged women who experience adolescent parenting stress during a developmental crisis.