YOU ARE OKAY. EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPANTS WITH THE ‘YOU ARE OKAY’ PROGRAM

Abstract

Many children with mild intellectual disabilities who have parents with mental health concerns suffer from social-emotional problems. The ‘You are Okay’ program is the first to support these children and their parents. An effect study showed first promising results in decreasing children’s emotional and behavioural problems. The current study was conducted to evaluate the intervention qualitatively using experiences of the participants. A combination of questionnaires administered to 28 children and fourteen parents and in-depth interviews with three children, two parents and eight professionals were used to evaluate the experiences of the participants. Children, parents and professionals viewed ‘You are Okay,’ especially its psychoeducation, mutual recognition, and support, as valuable and useful. However, carefully matching children in support groups and screening for pre-conditions seems to be essential for successful participation. This study concluded that ‘You are Okay’ supports children with mild intellectual disabilities and their parents with mental health concerns. The findings are also in line with the results of the effect study of the program, which showed that ‘You are Okay’ supports children by decreasing their emotional and behavioural problems after participating in the program. Together these results strengthen the idea that this family-focused approach is helpful in children’s treatment.