Effects of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy on Young Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders

1 Bridges is a publication of the Research and Training Center on Early Childhood Development, funded by the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice Division (H324K010005). The RTC is an organizational unit of the Center for Evidence-Based Practices, Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute. © Copyright 2003 by the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute. All rights reserved. The behavioral and social-emotional consequences of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) were examined in 17 studies of preschool-age children identified as exhibiting a disruptive behavior disorder. These studies included 628 children, 368 of whom participated in parent-child interaction therapy. Study findings revealed that involvement in PCIT results in statistically and clinically significant improvements in child behavior functioning. While there is some evidence that PCIT positively impacts social-emotional development, this evidence is less compelling. Implications for practice are described in terms of core relationship-building and discipline skills that parents should implement in order to optimize child behavior functioning.