Tailoring Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Older Children: A Case Study

Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2018 Jul;46(4):298-304. doi: 10.1024/1422-4917/a000536. Epub 2017 Aug 15.

Abstract

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention designed for families of 2- to 6-year-old children with disruptive behavior disorders. This article illustrates the application of PCIT in a 10-year-old boy with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Both parents and the patient attended PCIT sessions. The course of therapy included minor changes to the PCIT protocol. After 13 PCIT sessions, the patient displayed disruptive behaviors within normal limits, and 12 months later he no longer met diagnostic criteria for ODD. Results remained stable at a 17-month follow-up assessment. This case study suggests that the use of PCIT in families of children with ODD markedly older than the recommended age range might be a promising approach for improving family functioning and reducing behavior problems. Further research with larger samples of older children with ODD is needed to replicate and elaborate the findings of this case study.

Keywords: Aktivitäts- und Aufmerksamkeitsstörung; Fallbericht.; Parent-Child Interaction Therapy; Störung des Sozialverhaltens mit oppositionellem; Therapie-Individualisierung; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; aufsässigem Verhalten; case study; oppositional defiant disorder; tailoring.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aggression / psychology
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / therapy*
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / therapy*
  • Behavior Therapy / methods*
  • Child
  • Education, Nonprofessional / methods*
  • Family Therapy / methods*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Personality Assessment
  • Play Therapy / methods*