Knowledge is Power: PCIT Benefits Families Despite Early Termination

Abstract

Attrition in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an ongoing issue encountered by clinicians. However, evidence suggests that families who attend some PCIT sessions, but ultimately terminate before completion of the full PCIT treatment protocol, still see significant decreases in child disruptive behaviors (Lieneman et al., 2019). The present study examined both disruptive behaviors and parenting skills acquisition among four groups of caregivers, with one treatment completer group and three early terminator groups based on the number of sessions attended. Each group, regardless of completion status, experienced significant improvements in caregiver-reported child disruptive behaviors and observed parenting skills from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Given that all caregivers, including early terminators who did not meet the stringent PCIT graduation criteria, reaped some benefits of treatment, an abbreviated version of PCIT may prove to be sufficiently effective for some families. Furthermore, the meaningful treatment gains made by the families who terminated early may encourage clinicians experiencing high rates of attrition. If these results continue to hold true, there could be informative implications for the way PCIT is delivered to and accessed by families.