Effects of an applied behavior analysis training program on self-efficacy, perceived stress, and behavioral skills of parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities

Caregivers of children with developmental disabilities may feel increased stress and a lack of confidence relating to teaching appropriate behaviors and coping with maladaptive behaviors. This increased stress and lack of confidence may result in an inability to effectively teach appropriate behaviors and cope with maladaptive behaviors. Providing caregivers with an opportunity to learn teaching strategies that use applied behavior analysis may reduce caregiver stress and increase confidence for teaching appropriate behaviors and coping with maladaptive behaviors. Therefore it is essential to investigate the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis training programs on caregivers' self-efficacy, perceived stress, and behavioral skills. This study investigated the effectiveness of caregiver training in increasing self-efficacy and decreasing stress levels in seven caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. The study also looked at caregiver and child behavior changes by conducting single subject research with two participants. The seven caregivers participated in a five—week training focusing on applied behavior analysis teaching strategies. Caregivers were given a general self-efficacy measure and stress and confidence measures for teaching appropriate behaviors and coping with maladaptive behaviors. Participants in this study showed a significant increase in general self-efficacy, confidence for coping with maladaptive behaviors, and confidence for teaching appropriate behaviors from pretest to posttest. The participants also showed a nonsignificant decrease in stress for coping with maladaptive behaviors and a significant decrease in stress for teaching appropriate behaviors from pretest to posttest. The participants also showed significant mean changes on four specific items from pretest to posttest. The participants showed a significant increase in their confidence for teaching personal safety, confidence for teaching self-help skills, and confidence for teaching personal boundaries. The participants also showed a significant decrease in stress for teaching communication skills. The adult participants in the single subject research showed an increase in behavioral skills, while the child maladaptive behaviors decreased or stayed at an extremely low frequency. The results indicate that offering caregivers support in the form of training in applied behavior analysis teaching strategies may result in decreases stress levels and increased confidence in the area of teaching appropriate behaviors and coping with maladaptive behaviors.