The Effect of Health Belief Model-Based Disaster Education for Parents of Children With Special Needs on General Disaster Preparedness Beliefs and Disaster Preparedness Levels

The Effect of Health Belief Model-Based Disaster Education for Parents of Children With Special Needs on General Disaster Preparedness Beliefs and Disaster Preparedness Levels

This study aims to evaluate the effect of a Health Belief Model (HBM)-based disaster education program on general disaster preparedness beliefs and disaster preparedness levels among parents of children with special needs. Children with special healthcare and developmental needs are particularly vulnerable during disasters, and parental readiness plays a critical role in mitigating risks. The study is designed as a quasi-experimental (or randomized controlled) interventional trial with an intervention and a control group to determine whether structured, model-based training improves preparedness behaviors and disaster beliefs among parents.

This study is conducted between September 2026 and October 2026 at the Ozel Mavi Special Education and Rehabilitation Center in Diyarbakir, Turkey. The center consists of two separate service buildings within the same campus, providing individualized and group special education services for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, specific learning disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and speech/language impairments.

Parents are recruited during their children's active educational sessions. Participants are allocated into intervention and control groups. The intervention group receives a structured, 5-week Health Belief Model-based disaster preparedness training program, while the control group receives routine follow-up (or standard institutional guidance).

Outcome assessments include baseline (pre-test) measurements and post-intervention (post-test) evaluations conducted after the completion of the 5-week educational program. Primary outcomes measure participants' general disaster preparedness beliefs and objective disaster preparedness levels.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being between 18 and 65 years of age
• Being a parent or primary caregiver of a child with special health care needs
• Having received no prior formal training or education on disaster preparedness
• Having adequate communication skills to conduct interviews (e.g., having no severe hearing or speech impairments)
• Volunteering to participate and providing written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having a diagnosed mental/psychiatric disorder prior to or during the study period