Feasibility of Intensive Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (I-PCIT): Results from an Open Trial

The current pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and initial outcome of an intensive and more condensed version of Parent–child Interaction Therapy (90 min sessions for 5 days/week over the course of 2 weeks). Using an open trial design, 11 children (M child age = 5.01 years) and their mothers completed a baseline period of 2 weeks, a treatment period of 2 weeks, and a post-treatment evaluation. A follow-up evaluation was also conducted 4 months following treatment completion. Across all assessments, mothers completed measures of child behavior and parenting stress, and observational data was collected during three 5-min standard situations that vary in the degree of parental control (child-led play, parent-led play, & clean-up). All 11 families completed the intervention with extremely high attendance and reported high satisfaction. Results across both mother report and observations showed that: a) externalizing behavior problems were stable during the baseline period; b) treatment was effective in reducing externalizing behavior problems (ds = 1.67–2.50), improving parenting skills (ds = 1.93–6.04), and decreasing parenting stress (d = 0.91); and c) treatment gains were maintained at follow-up (ds = 0.53–3.50). Overall, preliminary data suggest that a brief and intensive format of a parent-training intervention is a feasible and effective treatment for young children with externalizing behavior problems with clinical implications for improving children’s behavioral impairment in a very brief period of time.