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Parents’ satisfaction from their participation in parenting groups conducted at centers for addiction prevention and psychosocial health promotion (Master thesis)

Παπαδημητρίου, Παρασκευή/ Papadimitriou, Paraskevi

Parents are the first important adults in children's lives and play the most important role in shaping their personality. Most parents experience anxiety and insecurity about their competence in their demanding role. Although international research projects investigating the effectiveness of Parent Groups or Parent Schools are often found in the literature, research interest in Greece is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the satisfaction of parents participating in Parent Groups conducted at the "Seirios" Centers for Addiction Prevention and Psychosocial Health Promotion of the Municipality of Thessaloniki from 2013 to 2024, as well as their relationship with the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. The sample of the study consisted of 270 parents, of which 239 were female (88.5%) and 31 were male (11.55%) with the majority of the participants belonging to the age group 30-40 years old (42.2%). Participants were invited to the last meeting of the Parenting Group cycle where they were asked to complete socio-demographic data included in the Evaluation Sheet and self-report suggestions that assessed expectations, usefulness and level of satisfaction at individual, family and wider levels. Participants were invited at the last meeting of the Parent Group cycle, where they were asked to fill in socio-demographic data included in the Evaluation Sheet and self-report suggestions that assessed expectations, usefulness and degree of satisfaction at individual, family and wider levels. The results found that participants with high educational level showed higher improvement in their interaction with family members and self-improvement compared to parents with lower educational level. It is worth noting that respondents' satisfaction with the coordination and topics of the Parent Group they participated in was positively related to their desire to continue the meetings. The results of the present study can contribute to informing and raising awareness in the community, adopting ways of support and care through prevention and promotion of psychosocial health.