Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), created by Dr. Sheila Eyberg, is a highly effective, evidenced-based therapy that treats oppositional and defiant behaviors that can also accompany attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PCIT can transform parent/caregiver-child relationships that often become strained due to a child’s strong-willed temperament and/or chronic exposure to child’s non-compliance. Examples of disruptive childhood behaviors include non-compliance, oppositional and uncooperative behaviors, lying, hyperactivity, inattention, verbal/physical aggression, and classroom misconduct.
Not only can PCIT assist with decreasing your child’s undesired behaviors in the home and school environments, PCIT is an investment that offers parent training, so that when your child has graduated from PCIT, you still have developed parenting skills that you can use with your other children that will last you a lifetime!
Research by Lieneman et al. (2019) reports that families who have graduated from PCIT produces the largest effect size (d = 1.65). For a point of reference, a score over d = .80 is considered a large effect size. Essentially, it tells the consumer that the treatment works!
Significant results have been demonstrated in families that haven’t graduated from the PCIT protocol! As located on the PCIT.org website, research conducted by Oregon Health Authority (OHU) and West Virginia University (WVU) concluded that a families’ participation in a minimum 4+ sessions produced higher effect size (d =.70) as compared to other treatment protocols that include stimulant medication (d =.67), CBT (d =.66), Incredible Years (d =.50), Triple P (d =.35-.57), and Child Directed Play (d =.35). The large “effect size” demonstrates how meaningful the difference is between the treatment groups that are being compared.
PCIT strengthens the parent-child relationship and balances positive interaction with your child, while teaching you, the parent, how to deliver consistent limit setting. This approach leads to child compliance and decreased parent stress. PCIT returns control to you, the parent!
PCIT offers the following:
- Active coaching of parent and child.
- Restructuring parent-child interaction patterns.
- An assessment driven treatment approach that is supported by research.
- Child compliance and cooperation.
- More enjoyable times with your child.
- PCIT is a therapy for children whose ages range from 2 to 7
References
https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/effect-size/
PCIT.org
Arnberg A, Ost L-G. CBT for children with depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis. Cogn Behav Ther. 2014; 43 (410):275-288. Doi:10.1080/16506073.2014.947316
Lieneman CC, Quetsch LB, Theordorou LL, Newton KA, McNeil CB. Reconceptualizing attrition in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: “dropouts” demonstrate impressive improvements. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2019. Jul 22. Doi:10.2147/PRBM.S207370
Menting ATA, Orobio de Castro B, Matthys W. Effectiveness of the Incredible Years parent training to modify disruptive and prosocial child behavior: a meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2013;33 (8):901-913.doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2013.07.006
Meszaros A, Czobor P, Balint S, Komlosi S. Simon V, Bitter I. Pharmacotherapy of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a meta-analysis. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2009;12(8):1137-1147. Doi:10.1017/S1461145709990198
Nowak C, Heinrichs N. A comprehensive meta-analysis of Tripple P Positive Parenting Program using hierarchal linear modeling: effectiveness and moderating variables. Clin Child Fam Pschol Rev. 2008;11(3):114-144. Doi:10.1007/s10567-008-0033-0
Ray DC, Armstrong SA, Balkin RS, Jayne KM. Child centered play therapy in the schools: review and meta-analysis. Psychol Sch. 2015;52(2):107-123. Doi:10.1002/pits.21798
