Psychoeducational support groups for aging parents: development and preliminary outcomes.

A psychoeducational support group program for aging parents (mean age = 65.3) of adult offspring with developmental disabilities was established with assistance from a focus group of practitioners and parents. We reported on the program's development, parents' self-reported objectives for participating in the program, as well as appraisals made by the parents and professional group leaders regarding process and outcome issues. We were also interested in whether parents who resided with their offspring (n = 17) experienced support groups differently than did parents with offspring who lived away (n = 13). Implications for developing and evaluating future interventions with this target population were discussed.