Developing an Applied Training Program to Eempower Adoptive Parents and its Effectiveness on the Parent-Child Relationship and Parenting Challenges

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Psychology; Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish, Iran,

2 Department of Psychology, ShQ. C., Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Qods, Iran.

3 استادیار، گروه روان شناسی و مشاوره، دانشگاه فرهنگیان، تهران، ایران

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to design a family-centered program to empower military parents with adopted children and its effectiveness on the parent-child relationship and parenting challenges. The present study was a mixed type (quantitative-qualitative). The population of the present study in the qualitative part included all reliable sources related to the subject and in the quantitative part included parents with adopted children in Tehran in 1404. For sampling, initially, 12 experts and parents with adopted children were interviewed semi-structuredly. This process continued until the researchers reached theoretical saturation. Then, 30 parents were selected as the sample group using convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. After that, the participants completed questionnaires on the parent-child relationship and parenting challenges before and after the intervention. Finally, content analysis and analysis of covariance tests were used to analyze the data. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSSV19 software. The results showed that the protocol for empowering military parents with adopted children has appropriate content and face validity. The results also showed that parental empowerment is effective on the parent-child relationship and parenting challenges, and there is a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups. The results obtained from the present study can be effective in better understanding parenting challenges and providing educational solutions to family specialists and couple therapists.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Baghiani Moghadam, Mohammad Hossein; Dehghanpour, Mahdieh; Shahbazi, Hassan; Kahdavii, Jalil; Dastjerdi, Ghasem and Fallahzadeh, Hossein (2013). Investigating the relationship between optimism and general health in students of Yazd University. Quarterly Journal of Yazd School of Public Health, 12(2), 89-101.
Mobasher, Tahereh, and Salehi, Mehrdad. (2019). The relationship between emotional intelligence, ethical spaces and ethical values ​​of companies with auditors' ethical judgment. Ethics in Science and Technology, 15(2), 108-114.
Bahrami, Mohammad Amin; Asemi, Maryam; Fateh Panah, Azadeh and Tehrani, Gholam Reza (2012). The level of moral intelligence of faculty members and staff of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd. Iranian Journal of Ethics and History of Medicine, 5(6), 18-25.
Refahi, Jhaleh and Moqtadari, Nazfar (2013). The effectiveness of group empathy skills training on increasing intimacy between couples. Journal of Family Counseling and Psychotherapy, 8, 44-55.
Ali Akbari, Mahnaz; Kakujoubiari, Ali Asghar; Amirabadi, Fatemeh; Shaghaghi, Fatemeh; Zare, Noushin and Khaleghi, Faezeh (2013). Investigating the role of theory of mind and executive functions in predicting empathy. Quarterly Journal of Cognitive Sciences, 15(2), 1-10.
Heratian, Abbas Ali and Nozari, Mahmoud (2011). The effect of subsidized games on youth empathy. Psychology and Religion, 4(4), 121-140.
Alvani, Mehdi and Dehbeigi, Mina (2007). The effect of emotional intelligence training on the quality of services of Mellat Bank branches. Iranian Management Quarterly, 2(7), 3-12.
Zoghi Fayyaz, Elahe; Aghamohammadian Sherbaf, Hamid Reza; Alipour, Ahmad and Aliakbari Dehkordi, Mahnaz (2012). Investigating the effectiveness of adoption skills training on reducing stress and changing coping styles of couples seeking children. Journal of Principles of Mental Health, 14(55), 19-210.
Hajhosseini, Mansoureh and Mohaddesi, Vida (2019). Adoption experience and maternal identity construction in infertile adoptive women. Journal of Social Psychological Studies of Women, 17(4), 36-7
Ghavidast, Mehdi, & Hassanvandi, Saba. (2015). The effect of cognitive behavioral training on improving communication interactions, burnout, and emotional detachment in 40- to 50-year-old female military personnel. Military Psychology, 16(1), 167-186.
Yousefi, Farideh (2013). Causal model of emotional intelligence, cognitive development, cognitive regulation of emotions and general health. PhD thesis in educational psychology, Shiraz University
Tabatabaeinia, Seyed Reza, & Shahvardi, Maryam. (2015). The effectiveness of solution-focused group therapy on resilience and self-esteem of mothers with children with ADHD in families of armed forces. Military Psychology, 16(2), 35-58.
Ghorbani, Fardin, Zarei, Eqbal *(Corresponding author), & Mohammadi, Kourosh. (2024). Family members' relationships in the post-corona era based on the goals of developing a successful and healthy family in the 2020 horizon and in line with Satir's perspective. Military Psychology, 15(3), 11-39.
Moawan Jola, Razieh, Moradi, Hojjatollah, Basri, Ahmad, & Rahmani, Marjan. (2025). The mediating role of mental health in the relationship between perfectionism and parental anxiety with self-efficacy of children of military families. Military Psychology, 16(1), 29-45.
Hajjati Ardakani, Fatemeh, Motahereh, & Choubforoshzadeh, Azadeh. (2024). Investigating the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between self-determination and perceived stress in Azadeh's spouses. Military Psychology, 15(4), 157-175.
andura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Batson, C. D., Bolen, M. H., Cross, J. A., & Neuringer-Benfiel. (2020).  Where is the altruism in the altruistic  personality? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 212-220.
Becht, J. M., Kohlleppel, H., Schins, R. P., & Kämpfer, A. A. (2024). Effect of Butyrate on Food-Grade Titanium Dioxide Toxicity in Different Intestinal In Vitro Models. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 37(9), 1501-1514.
Bowen, M. (1978). Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Jason Aronson
Boese, V. A., Edgell, A. B., Hellmeier, S., Maerz, S. F., & Lindberg, S. I. (2023). How democracies prevail: democratic resilience as a two-stage process. In Resilience of Democracy (pp. 17-39). Routledge.
Braun, E. (2023). The relationship between parental self-efficacy and unconditional self-acceptance, cognitive flexibility, and self-forgiveness across different parental stages. Hofstra University.
Burton NW, Pakenham KI, Brown WJ. Feasibility andeffectiveness of psychosocial resilience training: A pilot study of the READY program. Psychol Health Med. 2010;15(3):266-77.
Çakmak Tolan, Ö., & Bolluk Uğur, G. (2024). The relation between psychological resilience and parental attitudes in adolescents: A systematic review. Current Psychology, 43(9), 8048-8074.
Campbell-Sills, L., Cohan, S. L., & Stein, M. B. (2016). Relationship of resilience to personality, coping, and psychiatric symptoms in young adults. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44(4), 585–599.
Hassanvandi, Saba, Manadi, Morteza and Akhavan Tafti, Mahnaz. (2017). Identifying family factors in the occurrence of emotional disorders in students from the perspective of parents: A phenomenological study. Ahvaz Jundishapur Journal of Educational Development, 8(4), 367-381.
Pinquart, M., & Lauk, J. (2025). Associations of parenting styles with substance use in the offspring—A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Drug and Alcohol Review, 44(1), 133-143.
Rademacher, A., Zumbach, J., & Koglin, U. (2025). Parenting style and child aggressive behavior from preschool to elementary school: The mediating effect of emotion dysregulation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(1), 63-72.
Manda, D., & Darmayanti, D. P. (2025). The Role of Parenting Style on Aggressive Behavior of Junior High School Adolescents. Celebes Journal of Elementary Education, 3(1), 37-46.
Omrani, Seyed Amir, Taheri Kamran, Azadeh, Salehi, Mehdi, Dehghanipour Mojared, Neda, & Ternas, Ghazaleh. (2025). The effectiveness of emotional schema therapy on the psychological, emotional and social well-being of women in the families of martyrs suffering from complex persistent grief disorder. Military Psychology, 13(50), 147-165.
Ma’ruf, H., Juhaidi, A., Hafiz, M. R., & Fitri, S. (2025). Uncovering the influence of demographic factors on the emotional regulation of Alpha generation students in Islamic educational institutions in Indonesia: the role of parenting style as a mediator. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2511448.
Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening Family Resilience. New York: Guilford Press.
Yang, L., Shrestha, S., Zhan, S., & Cheng, F. (2025). Parents' education anxiety and adolescents' academic burnout: The role of parenting style and academic self-efficacy. Personality and Individual Differences, 238, 113082.
Wang, J., Zheng, S., Zhang, M., & Zhao, K. (2025). Parenting styles and adolescents’ cyberbullying: The indirect effect of attitude towards human dignity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 34(1), 270-281.
Military Psychology
Volume 16, Issue 4 - Serial Number 64
Winter Quarterly
February 2026
Pages 137-158

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 14 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 01 March 2027

Share

How to cite

Statistics