Parent-child interaction therapy: application to maltreating parent-child dyads

OBJECTIVE: Parent-Child Interaction Training (PCIT), which uses a social learning framework, is a dyadic intervention that is designed to alter specific patterns of interaction found in parent-child relationships. Previous research suggests that maladaptive and high-risk characteristics found in maltreating parent-child dyads may be responsive to PCIT. The primary focus of this study is to examine the effectiveness of PCIT with maltreating parent-child dyads. METHODOLOGY: This study describes the effectiveness of PCIT with 136 biological parent-child dyads in which 66.9% (N=91) of the children had been maltreated. Of the 91 maltreated children, 64.8% (N=59) of the parents had maltreated their children, and were thus considered to be at high risk of repeating the abuse. RESULTS: Primary outcomes of this study show the following: (1) a decrease in child behavior problems, (2) a decrease in parental stress, and (3) a decrease in abuse risk from pre- to post-treatment for dyads with and without a history of maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results add to the body of research supporting PCIT as a promising intervention and as a means to aid both children and parents in high-risk families for maltreatment.