Effect of peer support group (PSG) on stress levels of parents with mental retardation children in Bogor

Abstract

Raising a child with mental retardation is an extraordinary and very emotional experience for parents and can affect the functioning of the family as a whole. The study shows that parents of children with mental retardation experience higher levels of stress and are at risk of mental health problems compared to parents of normal children. One of the efforts to reduce stress is by peer support group (PSG). Peer support group is a gathering of similar groups that carry out activities with the aim of improving coping, providing social support, sharing experiences, reducing fear and worry. This research aims to obtain an overview of the effect of PSG on stress levels in parents of mentally retarded children in Bogor City. This research is a quantitative study with a quasi-experimental pre test–post test control group design method to compare the intervention results of two groups: the intervention group (parents who received PSG and the control group (parents who did not receive PSG). Results showed that there was a significant effect on stress levels after PSG was carried out with P value of 0.000 at α 0.005.