Dynamics of psychological safety in mothers raising children with special needs

Abstract

There is a considerable decrease in psychological well-being among mothers raising children with special needs. Addressing the issues of providing psychological support for them is of particular importance for both researchers and practitioners. The paper presents a study aimed at exploring the dynamics of psychological safety in mothers raising children with special needs. 32 mothers whose children underwent a rehabilitation programme in a rehabilitation centre participated in the study. The key element of the psychological support programme developed for these mothers was a specific psychotherapeutic space combining hippotherapy with environmental, social and personal factors. Compared to the control group, the study participants’ parameters of psychological safety showed statistically significant positive dynamics. The results obtained contribute to studying factors of psychological well-being in mothers raising children with special needs and suggest an effective way of enhancing their sense of psychological safety.