Meta-analysis of the Efficacy and Effectiveness of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Child Behaviour Problems

BACKGROUND Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a well-established treatment for behavioural, hyperactivity and oppositional-defiant problems in children. Previous meta-analyses are scarce, and they have tended to mix problems and measures. OBJECTIVE A meta-analysis study was conducted with all available studies on PCIT (1980 to 2020) to determine its specific efficacy and effectiveness for child behavioural problems. METHOD: Selection from databases collected a total of 100 studies. The inclusion criteria were to compare PCIT in children with behavioural problems between 2 and 12 years of age; comparing groups and using standardized instruments. RESULTS PCIT exhibited a significant mean effect size ( d = -0.87 [95% CI: -1.10, -0.63] versus control and/or treatment-as-usual groups, but the effect size was smaller and not significant in follow-ups ( d = -0.23 [95% CI: -0.49, 0.04]). The within-group studies, comparing versions of PCIT, also demonstrated a significant effect size ( d = -0.26 (95% CI: -0.43, -0.08), and in pre-post comparisons this effect was greater ( d = -1.40 [95% CI: -1.69, -1.10]). CONCLUSIONS: PCIT is an effective intervention for treating child behaviour problems such as disruptive, hyperactive, negative, and externalizing problems. It is supported by 40 years of experimental and clinical studies, and also by this meta-analysis.