Developing and testing the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program to strengthen foster families

The aim of this study is to develop a training program designed to empower foster families and to test its effectiveness. For this purpose, a "Sequential Mixed Methods Design," which includes both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, was used to conduct the development, implementation, and evaluation processes of the Developing and Testing the Effectiveness of a Psychoeducation Program to Strengthen Foster Families. Within the scope of the research, six different stages encompassing qualitative and/or quantitative methods were applied. Firstly, a qualitative study was conducted to prepare the content of the training program and to identify the needs of the foster family model. In the second stage, based on the findings of the qualitative study and the results of the literature review, the process of developing the training program commenced, guided by existing training and intervention programs. The theoretical/conceptual framework of the training program was based on the "Social Constructivist Theory." Following this, a pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of the developed psychoeducation program before the main implementation. In this pilot study, a single-group and pre-test post-test experimental design was used. After the pilot study, the main experimental phase was conducted, utilizing a pre-test post-test control group experimental design. Following this stage, a qualitative study was conducted with the experimental group to evaluate the training received post-implementation. Two months after the main implementation, a follow-up study was conducted with the experimental group. Data from the pilot study, main implementation, and follow-up study were collected using the Multidimensional Parenting Styles Scale and the Child's Coping with Negative Emotions Scale. Given that the sample size was less than 30 and the normality assumption was not met, non-parametric statistical methods were used, specifically the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test. For the analysis of qualitative data, content analysis based on inductive coding was employed. The findings of the study indicate that the Developing and Testing the Effectiveness of a Psychoeducation Program to Strengthen Foster Families supports foster mothers in reducing dysfunctional parenting attitudes and developing more functional parenting attitudes. Similarly, the program was found to be effective in helping foster mothers understand their children's emotions, assist in labeling their emotions, encourage emotional expression, and find solutions to their children's challenging emotional problems. Qualitative research conducted post-experiment further supports these findings. In this context, the present study is characterized as the first evidence-based psychoeducation program developed to empower foster families, built upon a mixed-methods design and theoretically framed by the Social Constructivist Theory.