Developing a Parenting Package Based on the Lived Experiences of Mothers of Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

4 Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

10.48308/apsy.2026.239951.1822

Abstract

Aim: Separation anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder in children; although the role of parents is acknowledged, its nature remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the lived experiences of mothers of such children and to develop a parenting package based on these experiences to address the needs of this group.
Method: This qualitative study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, using purposive sampling, mothers of children aged 4 to 6 years diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder and residing in District 3 of Isfahan in 2023 were selected. Interviews were continued until data saturation with 13 mothers and were analyzed using Giorgi’s method. In the second part, a parenting package was developed based on the mothers'lived experiences. Its content validity was evaluated and confirmed by 8 experts.
Results: Six main themes were identified in the first part, including psychological burnout, ineffective parenting strategies, daily functioning impairment, persistent anxiety and worry, and need for professional and social support, with 29 subthemes. In the second part, based on the extracted themes, a parenting package was designed in 10 sessions with a focus on the mother–child dyad; the relative content validity ratio (CVR) of the package ranged from 0.75 to 1.00, and the content validity index (CVI) exceeded 0.90.
Conclusion: The developed parenting package is specifically tailored to the needs of mothers of children with separation anxiety disorder and can be used for symptom alleviation and prevention purposes.

Keywords

References

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Applied Psychology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 January 2026

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