Background: The high prevalence of learning disabilities among children confirm that learning disabilities are surprisingly common. In the absence of routine screening, many children still go undetected with a huge individual and family burden, while at the same time, the findings of existing interventions are conflicting. This study reports on the design, implementation and evaluation of an innovative pilot intervention aiming at improving the quality of life of the family of children with specific learning disabilities. Method: For the purposes of this study, we ran a randomized controlled trial employing an experimental research design with two groups (intervention and control). The study population comprised parents of children with specific learning disabilities. Out of the 71 individuals that were eligible for randomization, 42 were allocated to the intervention, and 29 to the control group. A brief parenting intervention model was employed, aiming at improving parenting skills through a stepwise process. The intervention included four skill building sessions conducted over a period of 6 weeks. “Parenting style” (including three dimensions: “Authoritative”, “Authoritarian” and “Permissive”) and “Family Quality of life” (including five dimensions: “Family Interaction”, “Parenting”, “Emotional Well-being”, “Physical/Material Wellbeing” and “Disability-Related Support”) were employed as the outcome measures of this study. Two validated questionnaires were used to measure the study outcomes: “the Parenting Style Questionnaire” and the “Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL) Questionnaire”. The questionnaires were applied at the pre- and post-intervention level. Findings: An analysis showed that except for the “permissive parenting style”, the intervention and control group had statistically significant differences in all the “Parenting style” and the “Quality of life” dimensions at the post-intervention level. In the intervention group, none of the study dimensions improved at a statistically significant level at the post-intervention level compared to pre-intervention level. According to the cluster analysis, which re-examined successful vs. unsuccessful cases, the intervention was found to have an effect on the average values of all the “quality of life” and “parenting style” dimensions, except for the “Authoritarian Parenting Style”. Conclusions: The study offers evidence on the dimensions of parenting and quality of life mostly affected by a brief intervention as well as on the feasibility, practicality and acceptance of such interventions in local communities.

Past research shows that parents’ mental health is highly associated with children's emotional and behavioural state. The study aimed to explore and verify the hypothesis that high self perceived parental depression and anxiety levels increase observed emotional/behavioural problems in their children. The sample included 53 parent-child pairs, residents of Crete, Greece where the average age of parents (88.7% females) was 42.30 yrs (SD = 5.41) and with mean child (54.7% males) age of 9.16 (SD = 1.36), who presented for learning difficulties assessment at a community Mobile Unit. Among them, 64.2% had university degree while 24.5% had secondary education. The tools used were Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to assess depression and anxiety symptoms in parents and Child Behaviour CheckList (CBCL /6-18 DSM-oriented scales) to assess observed emotional/behavioural problems of their children (Emotional and Somatic Problems, Anxiety, Attention Deficit, Oppositional Defiant Problems, Conduct Problems). The study found a significant positive correlation (r=.400; p=.011) between BAI (M = 11.89, SD = 8.48) and Anxiety Problems in the CBCL (M = 2.93; SD = 2.11). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between BDI (M = 11.44, SD = 10.63) and Emotional Problems (M = 4.22, SD = 3.34), with r = 0.427 (p=.006) as well as with Anxiety Problems (r=.427; p=.006). These results indicate a link between parents’ self perceived anxiety with the anxiety they observe in their children and parents’ self perceived depression levels with the emotional and anxiety problems they identify in their children. It seems that anxious and depressed parents tend to highly identify same characteristics in their children. For the future it is recommended to test a bigger sample and also evaluate children's own beliefs. Nevertheless, the study confirms the connection between parental and child mental health which cannot be ignored when designing family based interventions. Key messages: • Understanding parents’ mental health issues could improve children’s lives and inform health policy planning. • Validated tools need to be introduced in community health setting to early detect parent mental health issues.

The study aimed at testing the effectiveness of a mixed-method pilot intervention in reducing risky self-reported driving performance, upon addressing stress and aggression while driving. The study recruited individuals who had performed these behaviors during the year preceding the study and allocated them into an intervention (n = 10) and a control group (n = 30). A pre-and postintervention evaluation design was employed to explore changes in risky self-reported driving behaviors, 12 months after the intervention. The intervention involved 2 h of experiential instruction and 1 h of cognitive restructuring using a driving simulator and scenarios appropriate for the processing of driving stress, aggression, and risk. The intervention group displayed significant improvements in the scales of “Hazard Monitoring” (p = 0.037) and “Covered Violations” (p = 0.049) at the postintervention level. No statistically significant differences were identified in terms of self-reported driving performance between the intervention and the control group at postintervention level. Launching large-scale experimental surveys with broadened cognitive restructuring approaches seems important to deepen our understanding of the behavioral change processes and increase the effectiveness of future interventions.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of learning disabilities (LDs) and the emotional–behavioral difficulties in 208 children from the Crete region in Greece, and who voluntarily presented themselves for study and were evaluated by a university-based interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals. The Greek version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V GR) was used, with its five Primary Index scores and full-scale IQ (Verbal Comprehension Index, VCI; Visual Spatial Index, VSI; Fluid Reasoning Index, FRI; Working Memory Index, WMI; and Processing Speed, PCI). Five diagnostic categories were established for the purpose of analysis: (a) no LDs (TD group), (b) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), (c) Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs), (d) Extremely Low FSIQ (below 79), and (e) Emotional/Behavioral difficulties. The results revealed a 25.5% prevalence of SLDs, 18.75% ADHD, 8.65% Extremely Low FSIQ, and 5.29% emotional/behavioral problems, suggesting that 58% of the study population struggled with some kind of learning difficulty. Statistically significant differences were observed between the “Extremely Low FSIQ” group, the “SLD”, the “ADHD”, and the “TD” diagnostic groups in terms of the “VCI”, “FRI”, and the “FSIQ” scales (p < 0.001). Likewise, the “Extremely Low FSIQ” group differed significantly from the “SLD” and “TD” groups in terms of the “VSI”, the WMI, and the “PSI” (p < 0.001). The “Behavioural/emotional” and “SLD” groups differed in terms of “VCI” and “Full scale IQ” (p < 0.001). The analysis indicated that the children with severe learning difficulties differed from the other groups in terms of their cognitive profiles and that they needed tailor-made educational programs and interventions in a typical classroom. This study offers comparative data from a community sample of children, as well as generated initial evidence from non-clinical settings on the usability and the diagnostic accuracy of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Further research is suggested. The present study was funded by the Crete Region (MIS 5162111).

Background: The high prevalence of learning disabilities among children confirm that learning disabilities are surprisingly common. In absence of routine screening, many children still go undetected with a huge individual and family burden, while at the same time existing interventions are conflicting. The purpose of the study is to report on the design, implementation and evaluation of an innovative pilot intervention aiming to improve the quality of life of the family of students with specific learning disabilities. Method: For the purposes of this study, we used an experimental research design, using two groups (intervention and control). The intervention included four meetings with parents of children from the intervention group. To assess the quality of life of the students' family and the parenting style, the following measuring tools were used. They conducted at times and locations convenient to each participant. The instruments used to measure outcomes were two standard weighted questionnaires, the parenting style questionnaire and the family quality of life questionnaire. Findings: The results showed that the intervention program had significantly positive effects on both parenting style and children’s quality of life. Specifically, a decrease in parental authoritarianism and an increase in parental support were observed. Also, an increase in child-parent interaction, emotional and general well-being was found. Conclusion: The intervention program did improve the quality of life of the children by increasing all the variables related to the measurement of their quality of life.

: Past research has identified high levels of stress among parents of children with learning disabilities, which negatively affects children's well-being. The current presentation aims at reporting on parental stress experienced by individuals who utilised the newly introduced services of a mobile unit offering diagnostic and counselling services to children with learning difficulties in the region of Crete. Individuals in the current study represent a non-clinical sample from community settings across a region of 600.000 residents. More specifically, a university mobil unit was set in mid 2020 with funds raised by the Region of Crete, aiming at diagnosing learning difficulties in children aged 8-12yrs old as well as offering tailor-made biopsychosocial counselling to their families, at no cost. The mobil unit employs a pioneering child-in-environment perspective aiming to improve child's well-being through interventions targeting the family system. The staff consists of special education tutors, child and school psychologists, social workers, speech therapists and nurses offering a full range of diagnostic services, with up to date psychometric tools and literacy tests. Upon detection of stress/depression symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory,BAI; Beck Depression Inventory,BDI), parents receive a brief CBT or family therapy intervention of 4 sessions with a psychologist and/or a social worker via teleconference. Preliminary analysis of parental records (53 BDI,46 BAI) indicates 12 (22,6%) being above the cut off point for depression (7 mild to moderate, 5 moderate to severe) and 13 (28,2%) meeting the criteria for moderate anxiety disorder. 9 cases scored within the clinical range for both disorders. Symptoms of anxiety disorder were recorded only in parents of males. Comparisons between individuals with and without symptomatology will be presented in terms of personal and family profiles. The study has serious implications for health and educational policy. Key messages: Coping with parental stress can be a challenge, but is also a skill that can be learned. Strength-based family support services should be considered at community level.