The effectiveness of parenting skills training based on the Adler-Dreikurs approach on family atmosphere and parent-child relationships among parents of children with social anxiety disorder

Introduction: Social anxiety disorder is one of the most prevalent types of anxiety disorders. Its primary characteristic is an intense fear of situations where an individual is exposed to the presence of others. Aim: The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of parenting skills training based on the Adler-Dreikurs approach in improving family atmosphere and parent-child relationships among parents of children diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Method: The research adopted a quantitative paradigm with a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a pretest-posttest-follow-up methodology with a two-month follow-up period. The study involved both an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population included all parents of primary school students during 2020-2021 in Halabja Province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A sample of 30 participants was selected through purposive sampling, with 15 assigned to the experimental group and 15 to the control group. Data were collected using the Family Atmosphere Questionnaire, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale (Fine, Moreland, & Schwebel, 1983), and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale for measurement and screening purposes. Participants in the experimental group attended 10 group-based training sessions. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to analyze data from the pretest, posttest, and follow-up phases, while inferential statistics, specifically repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), were employed to examine the relationships between variables. Results: The results revealed that, in the experimental group, the mean pretest scores for family atmosphere (p < 0.006) and parent-child relationships (p < 0.001) showed statistically significant differences when compared to the mean posttest and follow-up scores. Conclusion: The findings highlight the effectiveness of Adler-Dreikurs-based parenting skills training in enhancing family atmosphere and improving parent-child relationships for children with social anxiety disorder.