Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2023

Keywords

Trauma; Posttraumatic stress; Foster care; Children; Parent-child interaction therapy

Abstract

Objective

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment to reduce child disruptive behaviors and has been used for children with co-occurring posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS). However, many families are faced with barriers that interfere with treatment completion. Engagement and attrition issues remain a continuous concern for families accessing needed services for youth. Furthermore, these issues are exacerbated for children in foster care.

Methods

The present study explored differences in behavioral outcomes and graduation rates for children in foster care, (n = 206), non-foster care children with a history of trauma (n = 249), and non-foster care children without a history of trauma (n= 1,522) who participated in PCIT. Data was collected in community mental health agencies across the state of Oregon.

Results

There was a significant decrease in caregiver reported disruptive behavior scores for all groups following PCIT. There were no significant differences found in graduation rates and average number of sessions attended between the groups; however, the graduation rate for this sample was low (17.8%).

Conclusions

Results demonstrate that PCIT can be similarly effective in reducing problematic behaviors for children placed in foster care when compared to children not in foster care. Practical Implications: Given the low graduation rate, is imperative that we continue to investigate strategies to enhance treatment engagement and reduce barriers to services.

Comments

This article was published with support from the Open Access Publishing Fund administered through the University of Arkansas Libraries.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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