Describes interim results of a study examining the effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) with families of preschool-age children with oppositional defiant disorder. Following an initial assessment, 64 clinic-referred families were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment (i.t.) or a wait-list control (WL) condition. Results indicated that parents in the IT condition interacted more positively with their child and were more successful in gaining their child's compliance than parents in the WL condition. In addition, parents who received treatment reported decreased parenting stress and a more internal locus of control. Parents in the IT group reported statistically and clinically significant improvements in their child's behavior following PCIT. All families who received treatment reported high levels of satisfaction with both the content and process of PCIT. Preliminary 4-month follow-up data showed that parents maintained gains on all self-report measures.

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This article focuses on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a treatment program for young children with conduct problem behavior and their families. In Part One, PCIT is presented as an interactional approach to parent training and discussed in the context of other behavioral parent training programs. In Part Two, PCIT is described and empirical support for the program's effectiveness is presented. Given the importance of adapting programs to meet the needs of individual families and demonstrating treatment efficacy, Part Three is devoted to the presentation of strategies for modifying PCIT and measuring treatment outcome.