Internet‐delivered parent–child interaction therapy: Two clinical case reports

Abstract

Background: Disruptive child behaviours can be the start of a trajectory towards poor psychological outcomes across the lifespan. Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention designed for treating disruptive behaviours in children aged 2-7 years. The program utilises live coaching during dyadic parent-child play sessions and preliminary evidence suggests that the program can be implemented using a video-teleconferencing format, thereby improving accessibility to families from rural and remote areas. Method: Two case studies are reported of families living in rural Australia who participated in a pilot I-PCIT (Internet-delivered parent-child interaction therapy) program delivered from a community-based child treatment clinic. Results: The case studies highlight the negative impacts of early childhood behavioural issues and the efficacy of the I-PCIT program in bringing about positive changes in child behaviour, parental skills and confidence, and the parent-child relationship. Conclusions: Results highlight the potential of I-PCIT as a treatment option for families struggling with disruptive child behaviours living in rural and remote areas. K E Y W O R D S case report, disruptive behaviour disorders, parent-child interaction therapy, parent-training program, rural, telehealth

The Impact of Maternal Depression on Internet-Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for Child Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Case Study

“…Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, internet-delivered PCIT (I-PCIT) was established as an efficacious treatment by Comer et al (2017). Notably, researchers have highlighted the use of I-PCIT to ameliorate transportation and geographic barriers to accessing mental health care for families living in rural areas (Kohlhoff et al, 2019). Garcia et al (2021) were the first to explore the effectiveness of I-PCIT during the pandemic.…”

Assessing depression outcomes in teletherapy for underserved residents in Central Texas: Telehealth’s move to treatment-as-usual.

“…Given the already small population sizes inherent in rural areas, compounded with the barriers to accessing care even when made available through telehealth, studying the effectiveness of teletherapy in rural areas can be challenging. Nevertheless, this has not prevented continued contributions including telephone (Dwight-Johnson et al, 2011; Heckman et al, 2018; Ransom et al, 2008) and videoconference (Gonzalez & Brossart, 2015; Griffiths et al, 2006; McCord et al, 2011) teletherapy interventions for a variety of populations such as veterans (Knowlton & Nelson, 2021; Morland et al, 2014) and children/families (Kohlhoff et al, 2020; Rooks-Ellis et al, 2020; Ryan et al, 2005) and presenting concerns such as depression (Openshaw et al, 2012; Ransom et al, 2008; Trombello et al, 2020; Tutty, 2008), psychosis (Lecomte et al, 2021), grief (Chang et al, 2016; Supiano et al, 2021), and substance use (Baca et al, 2007).…”

Therapist Experiences and Attitudes About Implementing Internet-Delivered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy During COVID-19

“…The caregiver receives in vivo coaching via either a bluetooth device directly connected to the visual interface (i.e., computer, tablet, or cell phone screen) or headphones connected separately to a cell phone. Studies comparing traditional inperson PCIT to iPCIT demonstrated promising results for iPCIT (Comer et al, 2017;Kohlhoff et al, 2019). Comer et al found that children who received iPCIT were more likely than those who received standard PCIT to be rated by evaluators masked to treatment condition to have an "excellent response" at posttreatment and the 6-month follow-up.…”