Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
Description

This is an intervention for children aged 2 to 12 and their parents or caregivers. It focuses on reducing children’s externalizing behavior problems (e.g., aggressive or challenging behaviors), increasing positive parenting behaviors, and improving the quality of parent-child relationships.
It teaches therapeutic skills to parents to improve interactions and problem-solving, as well as to develop skills to manage new behavioral problems.
It is implemented in 12 weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each, with a booster session one month after the end of the program. A shortened version of the program is available, delivered in five sessions.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies have shown that the program produced significant reductions in the indicators of conduct problems in preschool children with oppositional defiant behavior [1] [2].
Significant improvement was observed in the domains of hyperactivity, aggression, disruptive behavior, and positive parenting practices in Latino children aged 4 to 6 years diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and conduct problems [3].
In children whose families completed the program, the proportion of cases of oppositional defiant behavior decreased from 91% to 22%, and from 100% to 57% in cases that did not complete the intervention [4].
This intervention was also effective in Chinese families living in Hong Kong [5]. Combining this program with motivational strategies significantly reduced recidivism in parents and children within the child protection system [6].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Nixon, R. D. V., Sweeney, L., Erickson, D. B. & Touyz, S. W. (2003). Parent-child interaction therapy: A comparison of standard and abbreviated treatments for oppositional defiant preschoolers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.71.2.251

[2] Nixon, R. D. V., Sweeney, L., Erickson, D. B. & Touyz, S. W. (2004). Parent-child interaction therapy: One- and two-year follow-up of standard and abbreviated treatments for oppositional preschoolers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(3), 263–271. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JACP.0000026140.60558.05

[3] Matos, M., Bauermeister, J. & Bernal, G. (2009). Parent-child interaction therapy for Puerto Rican preschool children with ADHD and behavior problems: A pilot efficacy study. Family Process, 48(2), 232–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2009.01279.x

[4] Boggs, S. R., Eyberg, S. M., Edwards, D. L., Rayfield, A., Jacobs, J., Bagner, D. & Hood, K. K. (2005). Outcomes of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: A Comparison of Treatment Completers and Study Dropouts One to Three Years Later. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 26(4), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1300/J019v26n04_01

[5] Chaffin, M., Funderburk, B., Bard, D., Valle, L. A. & Gurwitch, R. (2011). A combined motivation and parent-child interaction therapy package reduces child welfare recidivism in a randomized dismantling field trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(1), 84–95. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021227

[6] Leung, C., Tsang, S., Heung, K. & Yiu, I. (2009). Effectiveness of Parent—Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Among Chinese Families. Research on Social Work Practice, 19(3), 304–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731508321713