Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Interim Report of a Randomized Trial with Short-Term Maintenance

TLDR

The study examines the interim effectiveness of parent‑child interaction therapy for preschoolers with oppositional defiant disorder. Sixty‑four families were randomized to immediate PCIT or wait‑list control after assessment. Immediate PCIT produced greater positive parent‑child interaction, child compliance, reduced parenting stress, improved child behavior, high satisfaction, and sustained gains at four‑month follow‑up.

Abstract

Describes interim results of a study examining the effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) with families of preschool-age children with oppositional defiant disorder. Following an initial assessment, 64 clinic-referred families were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment (i.t.) or a wait-list control (WL) condition. Results indicated that parents in the IT condition interacted more positively with their child and were more successful in gaining their child's compliance than parents in the WL condition. In addition, parents who received treatment reported decreased parenting stress and a more internal locus of control. Parents in the IT group reported statistically and clinically significant improvements in their child's behavior following PCIT. All families who received treatment reported high levels of satisfaction with both the content and process of PCIT. Preliminary 4-month follow-up data showed that parents maintained gains on all self-report measures.