Skip to main content
Log in

Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Preschool Children With Psychiatric Disorders

  • CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DISORDERS (TD BENTON, SECTION EDITOR)
  • Published:
Current Psychiatry Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The field of child and adolescent psychiatry is increasingly aware of the existence of psychiatric disorders in preschool-aged children. Concomitantly, there has been a greater understanding of both the effects of parenting on development as well as how a child’s brain is shaped by the environment. There has also been a strong trend toward the use of time-limited, evidence-based therapies in adults and school-aged children, but evidence has been limited regarding the use of interventions to treat psychiatric disorders in preschoolers. In recent years, multiple research groups have worked to create effective psychotherapies for use with preschool populations, and there are also novel applications of existing psychotherapies. This review examines the latest evidence-based psychotherapies that treat preschool children with psychiatric disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance

  1. Campbell SB. Behavior problems in preschool children: a review of recent research. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995;36:113–49.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. McClellan JM, Bresnahan MA, Echeverria D, et al. Approaches to psychiatric assessment in epidemiological studies of children. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009;63:i4–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Gleason MM, Zeanah CH, Dickstein S. Recognizing young children in need of mental health assessment: development and preliminary validity of the early childhood screening assessment. Inf Mental Hlth J. 2010;31:335–57.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Weisz JR, Jensen-Doss A, Hawley KM. Evidence-based youth psychotherapies versus usual clinical care. Am Psych. 2006;61:671–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. Available at http://www.cebc4cw.org. Accessed September 2011.

  6. U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection from Federal Databases.

  7. Egger HL. Psychiatric Assessment of Young Children. Child Adolesc Psychiatric Clin N Am. 2009;18:559–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zeanah CH, Zeanah P. The scope of infant mental health. In Handbook of Infant Mental Health, 3rd edition. Edited by Zeanah CH. New York: Guilford Press; 2009:5–21.

  9. •• Belsky J, de Haan M. Annual research review: parenting and children’s brain development: the end of the beginning. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2011;52:409–428. This article reviews the state of the literature on parenting and children’s brain development. It highlights interesting studies looking at parenting in adverse conditions and the impact on brain development.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bandura A. Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bowlby J: Attachment and loss: Attachment Volume 1. New York: Basic Books; 1969/1982.

  12. Fraiberg S. Clinical Studies in Infant Mental Health. New York: Basic Books; 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Lieberman AF, Van Horn P. Don’t Hit My Mommy: A Manual for Child Parent Psychotherapy with Young Witnesses of Family Violence. Washington, D.C.: Zero to Three Press; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lieberman AF, Van Horn P, Ghosh Ippen C. Toward evidence-based treatment: child-parent psychotherapy with preschoolers exposed to marital violence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005;44:1241–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lieberman AF. Infant–parent psychotherapy with toddlers. Dev Psychopathol. 1992;4:559–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lieberman AF, Van Horn P. Psychotherapy with Infants and Young Children: Repairing the Effects of Stress and Trauma on Early Attachment. New York: Guilford Press; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Fraiberg S, Adelson E, Shapiro V. Ghosts in the nursery: a psychoanalytic approach to impaired infant–mother relationships. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1975;14:387–421.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lieberman AF, Ghosh Ippen C, Van Horn P. Child-parent psychotherapy: 6-month follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 2006;45:913–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Ghosh Ippen C, Harris WW, Van Horn P, Lieberman AF. Traumatic and stressful events in early childhood: can treatment help those at highest risk? Child Abuse Negl. 2011;35:504–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Cicchetti D, Rogosch FA, Toth SL, Sturge-Apple ML. Normalizing the development of cortisol regulation in maltreated infants through preventive interventions. Dev Psychopathol. 2011;23:789–800.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Eyberg SM. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Integration of traditional and behavioral concerns. Child & Family Behavior Therapy. 1988;10:33–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Baumrind D. Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior. Child Dev. 1966;37:887–907.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Baumrind D. The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance use. Journal of Early Adolescence. 1991;11:56–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Hood KK, Eyeberg SM. Outcomes of parent-child interaction therapy: mother’s reports of maintenance 3 to 6 years after treatment. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2003;32:419–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Harwood MD, Eyeberg SM. Child-directed interaction: prediction of change in impaired mother-child functioning. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 2006;34:335–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Hakman M, Chaffin M, Funderburk B, Silvosky JF. Change trajectories for parent-child interaction sequences during parent-child interaction therapy for child physical abuse. Child Abuse Negl. 2009;33:461–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Eyeberg SM. Tailoring and adapting parent-child interaction therapy to new populations. Educ Treat Child. 2005;28:197–201.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Chase RM, Eyeberg SM. Clinical presentation and treatment outcome for children with comorbid externalizing and internalizing symptoms. J Anxiety Disord. 2008;22:273–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Luby J, Belden AC. Mood disorders and an emotional reactivity model of depression. In: Handbook of Preschool Mental Health: Development, Disorders, and Treatment. Edited by Luby J. New York: Guilford Press 2006:209–230.

  30. Egger H, Ascher B, Angold A. Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA): Version 1.1. Durham, NC: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Duke University Medical Center, 1999.

  31. Lenze SN, Pautsch J, Luby J. Parent-child interaction therapy emotion development: a novel treatment for depression in preschool children. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28:153–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. •• Luby J, Lenze S, Tillman R: A novel early intervention for preschool depression: findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2011, Epub ahead of print. This article describes the first RCT of adaptation of PCIT for use in preschool depression, and shows promising preliminary results.

  33. Luby J, Heffelfinger A, Koenig-McNaught AL, et al. The Preschool Feelings Checklist: A brief and sensitive screening measure for depression in young children. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 2004;43:708–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Beck AT. Cognitive therapy: past, present, and future. In: Cognitive and Constructive Psychotherapies: Theory, Research, and Practice. Edited by Mahoney MJ. New York: Springer; 1995:29–41.

  35. Grave J, Blissett J. Is cognitive behavior therapy developmentally appropriate for young children? A critical review of the evidence. Clin Psychol Rev. 2004;24:399–420.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Monga S, Young A, Owens M. Evaluating a cognitive behavioral therapy group program for anxious 5 to 7 year old children: a pilot study. Depress Anxiety. 2009;26:243–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Minde K, Roy J, Bezonsky R, Hashemi A. The effectiveness of CBT in 3–7 year old anxious children: preliminary data. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010;19:109–15.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Hirshfeld-Becker DR, Masek B, Henin A, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for 4- to 7-year-old children with anxiety disorders: a randomized clinical trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010;78:498–510.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Hirshfeld-Becker DR, Micco JA, Mazursky H, et al. Applying cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety to the younger child. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2011;20:349–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Schneider S, Blatter-Meunier J, Herren C, et al. Disorder-specific cognitive-behavioral therapy for separation anxiety disorder in young children: a randomized waiting-list-controlled trial. Psychother Psychosom. 2011;80:206–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Silverman WK, Ortiz CD, Viswesvaran C, et al. Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2008;37:156–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. •• Scheeringa MS, Weems CF, Cohen JA, et al. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in three-through 6 year-old children: a randomized clinical trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2011, 52:853–860. This article describes the first RCT of TF-CBT for PTSD due to nonsexual traumas in preschool-aged children. It shows feasibility of TF-CBT in children as young as 3 years of age and includes systematic reporting of how much preschool-aged children were able to participate in specific CBT techniques.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Scheeringa MS, Zeanah CH, Cohen JA. PTSD in children and adolescents: toward an empirically based algorithm. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28:770–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Webster-Stratton CH. A randomized trial of two parent training programs for families with conduct-disordered children. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1984;52:666–78.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Marvin R, Cooper G, Hoffman K, Powell B. The Circle of Security project: attachment-based intervention with caregiver-pre-school child dyads. Attach Hum Dev. 2002;4:107–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Zeanah CH(Ed). Handbook of Infant Mental Health, Second edition. New York: Guilford Press; 2000.

Download references

Disclosure

Dr. Njoroge has served on a board for A Home Within, Washington State Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has served as a consultant for Dearmin/Fogarty LLC, and has received grant support from and had travel expenses covered/reimbursed by the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)-Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research PA-08-190.

Dr. Yang reported no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wanjiku F. M. Njoroge.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Njoroge, W.F.M., Yang, D. Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Preschool Children With Psychiatric Disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep 14, 121–128 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0253-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0253-3

Keywords

Navigation