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Background: Mothers of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) have a higher risk of experiencing psychosocial distress due to intensive caregiving load. While various interventions, such as coaching and psychoeducation, have been provided to support them, the use of arts-related interventions remains limited in this context.

Objective: This study examined the immediate effects of a dyadic expressive arts intervention (EXAT) on psychosocial well-being of mothers of children with ID.

Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial design, where 165 dyads (mothers and their children with mild to moderate ID) were randomly allocated to the eight-week EXAT (N=84) and waitlist control group (CG) (N=81). EXAT adopted multiple arts modalities to address the psychosocial needs of mothers and facilitate mutual communication. Mothers completed a questionnaire, assessing their psychosocial well-being and parent-child relationship at baseline (T0) and 8 weeks later (T1). 32 mothers participated in a semi-structured, in-depth interview at T1.

Results: 2x2 repeated-measures ANOVAs found significant intervention effects (group x time) in parent-child communication (η2 =.061, p=.003) and mothers’ positive affect (η2 =.028, p=.047). The EXAT group showed improvements in both measures across the timepoints compared to the CG. During the interviews, mothers noted positive changes in their psychosocial conditions and interaction patterns with their children. The children exhibited developmental changes. Some challenges in the intervention were also identified.

Conclusions: EXAT demonstrated potential effects on psychosocial support to mothers of children with ID. Follow-up research could help elucidate the sustainability and potential mechanisms of the intervention effects.