Assessing parental stress and self-efficacy: A multisite feasibility study of parent-mediated physical activity interventions for children with developmental disabilities.

Background: Children with developmental disabilities often face barriers to engaging in physical activity (PA), impacting their health and quality of life. Parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) have shown promise to reduce these barriers, but little research explores online PMIs for parents of children with developmental disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and impact of a multi-site collaborative online parent-mediated PA intervention on stress levels and self-efficacy among parents of children with developmental disabilities over a 12-week period.

Methods: Participants (n=55) were parents of children with developmental disabilities, randomly assigned to intervention (n=27) or control (n=28) groups.

Results: Recruitment rate was 58%, with an 80% retention rate. The feasibility of online delivery was demonstrated, allowing participation from various locations. An analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) with parental sex and education level as covariates revealed no significant interaction effect between group and time for parenting self-efficacy score (PSE), F(1, 104)=0.118, P=0.732, or PSI, F(1, 104)=0.196, P=0.659. The mean PSI difference (pre-post) was -0.38 (CI: -10.57 to 9.80) for the experimental group and 2.64 (CI: -9.61 to 14.91) for the control group, while the mean PSE difference was -4.41 (CI: -29.33 to 20.49) and 4.75 (CI: -23.22 to 32.73), respectively.

Conclusion: Future research should explore the integration of hybrid PMIs in conjunction with qualitative measures to facilitate a deeper understanding of the multifaceted factors influencing parental engagement in PA interventions for children with developmental disabilities.