Montano-Merchán M, Sanz-Ponce R, Calero-Plaza J. Empowerment, satisfaction, and family quality of life in early intervention: A qualitative study of professional practices received. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(4): 120102 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.120102]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Roberto Sanz-Ponce, Full Professor, Department of General Didactics, Theory of Education and Technological Innovation, Catholic University of Valencia, C/Sagrado Corazón, 5 (Godella), Valencia 46110, Spain. roberto.sanz@ucv.es
Research Domain of This Article
Pediatrics
Article-Type of This Article
research-article
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Montano-Merchán M, Sanz-Ponce R, Calero-Plaza J. Empowerment, satisfaction, and family quality of life in early intervention: A qualitative study of professional practices received. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; 15(4): 120102 [DOI: 10.5409/wjcp.120102]
Mónica Montano-Merchán, Joana Calero-Plaza, Department of Campus Capacitas, Catholic University of Valencia, Valencia 46110, Spain
Roberto Sanz-Ponce, Department of General Didactics, Theory of Education and Technological Innovation, Catholic University of Valencia, Valencia 46110, Spain
Author contributions: Montano-Merchán M, Sanz-Ponce R, and Calero-Plaza J designed the research study, performed the research, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Catholic University of Valencia, University Institutional Review Board (Approval No. UCV/2018-2019/111).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Roberto Sanz-Ponce, Full Professor, Department of General Didactics, Theory of Education and Technological Innovation, Catholic University of Valencia, C/Sagrado Corazón, 5 (Godella), Valencia 46110, Spain. roberto.sanz@ucv.es
Received: February 24, 2026 Revised: March 11, 2026 Accepted: May 12, 2026 Published online: December 9, 2026 Processing time: 219 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Early intervention (EI) has evolved toward the family-centered approach, operationalized through family-centered practices. Evidence suggests that the quality of implementation of these practices is associated with family outcomes such as empowerment, satisfaction, family quality of life (FQoL), and potentially caregiver burden/stress. However, in transitioning contexts, gaps persist between the model and perceived practice.
AIM
To explore from the perspective of Spanish families receiving EI services, how the professional practices they perceive relate to their experiences of empowerment/self-confidence, satisfaction, caregiver burden/stress, and FQoL, and to what extent these practices are perceived as aligned with the principles of the family-centered approach.
METHODS
An exploratory-descriptive qualitative observational study with an interpretative phenomenological orientation. Thirty families from Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities participated. In-depth individual semi-structured interviews were conducted (in person or via videoconference), audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. The matrix analysis was carried out using Atlas. ti (v.9) following an inductive-deductive strategy (open, axial, and selective coding). Rigor was enhanced through expert panel review and interrater agreement (Kappa = 0.83).
RESULTS
An exploratory-descriptive qualitative observational study with an interpretative phenomenological orientation. Thirty families from Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities participated. In-depth individual semi-structured interviews were conducted (in person or via videoconference), audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was carried out using Atlas. ti (v.9) following an inductive-deductive strategy (open, axial, and selective coding). Rigor was enhanced through expert panel review and interrater agreement (Kappa = 0.83).
CONCLUSION
From the family perspective, the impact of EI depends on the extent to which family-centered practices are implemented with quality, promoting genuine participation and transfer to daily routines. Trust, self-efficacy, and empowerment emerge as proximal outcomes linked to well-being and FQoL, while caregiver burden/stress may limit these processes. Incorporating family outcomes (FQoL, burden/stress) into service evaluation may help guide improvements in the implementation of EI in Spain.
Core Tip: Spanish families report that the benefits of early intervention depend less on service availability and more on how family-centered practices are implemented. Genuine participation, informed choice, and support to transfer strategies into everyday routines are associated with greater parental confidence and empowerment, with positive effects on well-being and family quality of life. Caregiver burden/stress emerges as a moderating condition that may limit participation and generalization.
