Effects on parents with handicapped children of a program aimed to increase knowledge and skills for training.

This article shows the results of eleven years' work with 178 parents with handicapped children. Their ages ranged between 23 and 59, and the educational level ranged from those without-instruction to university degrees. In the control group we had 159 parents whose children are not handicapped, with the same sociodemographic attributes. The factorial design is analyzed by analyses of variance. Before any training took place there were differences between both groups in educational attitudes, state anxiety and depression. After the first year of training an increase of knowledge of the principles of learning was produced, and a difference with the control group appeared, which initially did not exist, After the second year the knowledge of the strategies for intervention with the problems of handicapped children increased. A significant reduction of slate anxiety in the mothers and a similar level of slate anxiety and depression in the training and in the control group were indirect effects of the first year of training. Another indirect effect of the training was that both groups did not show differences in the recognition that the training of their children produces irritation and rejection. Finally, the importance of paying attention to the attitudinal and emotional aspects of working with parents.