The effectiveness of Fordyce happiness training on resilience and psychological well-being of parents with mentally retarded children

Abstract Background: Mentally retarded children are children who differ from normal children in at least one area of mental characteristics, sensory abilities, communication skills, social behavior, and physical characteristics. Objective: The aim of this study was to the effectiveness of Fordyce Happiness Education on resilience and psychological well-being of parents with mentally retarded children. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a one-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the study included all parents with children with mental disabilities in Gonbad Kavous. 30 parents with children with mental disabilities were assigned to the experimental and control groups by voluntary sampling method (15 parents in each group). The experimental group underwent Fordyce Happiness training for 8 sessions of 90 minutes for two months. In this study, Connor and Davison (2003) Resilience Questionnaire and Reef Psychological Welfare Questionnaire (1988) were used. The data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that Fordyce happiness training has a significant effect on resilience and psychological well-being of parents with mentally retarded children. Thus, Fordyce Happiness Education has been able to increase resilience and improve the psychological well-being of these parents. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, Fordyce happiness training by using the technique of expressing emotions, avoiding worrying thoughts, living and getting acquainted with a healthy personality and parenting competency training can be an effective way to increase resilience and well-being. Psychology of parents with mentally retarded children.