Supporting parents of children aged 2-13 with toileting difficulties: Group-based workshops versus individual appointments

Abstract

Introduction: Toileting is a key activity of daily living and an important milestone in children's development. Difficulties with this process can cause stress to both child and parents and negatively affect their wellbeing. This study compared the perceived parental competence and child wellbeing of families attending a group-based workshop on toileting issues with families attending an individual appointment at a continence clinic.

Methods: All parents attending the workshops and attending the clinic between July 2016 and December 2017 were invited to participate in the study. The children were aged between 2 and 13 years. Three measures were used: 1) Parenting Sense of Competence Scale; (2) the Revised Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children (KINDLR) and (3) Parent self-assessment of information and support needs. Participants completed all measures at three points: prior to intervention, 1 week and 1 month post-intervention.

Results: Data were collected from 89 parents attending the workshops and 46 parents attending the clinic. Children were not assessed. Non-parametric tests were used to examine between group differences. Within group changes overtime were examined using Friedman's two-way analysis of variance. Parents who attended the workshop showed significant increases in parenting sense of competence and perceived child quality of life post-intervention. Although there were significant differences between and pre- and post-measures for workshop attendees, there were no significant differences found between the two groups indicating that both forms of intervention had beneficial results.

Conclusion: These results suggest that group-based workshops can positively impact parents' perceived competence in managing their child's toileting issues and wellbeing. Further research is recommended to explore the relationship between parenting competence and child wellbeing and to determine which aspects of the workshops were most beneficial.

Keywords: child wellbeing; occupational therapy; parenting; self-efficacy; toileting.