THE EFFECTS OF GROUP COUNSELING BY PERSON-CENTERED THEORY TO REDUCE ANXIETY OF PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Abstract

               Objective: 1) To compare the anxiety of parents of students with learning disabilities in the experimental group before and after counseling by the person-centered theory by group counseling. 2) To compare the anxiety of parents of students with learning disabilities between the experimental group who received by the person-centered theory by group counseling and the control group who received normal care.

               Methods: The quasi-experimental research were 3 phases of data collection; pre-experimental, experimental and post-experimental. The experimental group received by the person-centered theory by group counseling twice a week, 1 hour 30 minutes for each time, totally 12 times. The sample group was the parents of students with learning disabilities, who was selected by anxiety scores from the highest to the sixteenth. The experimental group used the simple random sampling method and classify 2 groups, 8 person per group. The research instruments were 1) the anxiety scale for the parents of students with learning disabilities. 2) The person-centered theory by group counseling. Statistics were analyzed using descriptive, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test.

               Results: 1) The result of comparing the anxiety in the experimental group before and after received the person-centered theory by group counseling showed that the anxiety of parents of students with learning disabilities after the experiment, there was different at .05 significance level. 2) The result of comparing the anxiety between the experimental group and the control group after received the person-centered theory by group counseling showed that experimental group and control group the anxiety of parents of students with learning disabilities, experimental group and control group after the experiment, there was no statistically significant difference.

               Conclusion: The person-centered theory by group counseling can be decreased anxiety of parents of students with learning disabilities.