Potential Benefits of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

University of Florida

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Autonomic Dysregulation

Parent-Child Relations

Depression

Anxiety

Treatments

Behavioral: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

Study type

Observational

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06827951

IRB202400867

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this study is to explore possible benefits of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The main goals of the study are:

To investigate whether pre-survey measures of autonomic reactivity relate to the overall functioning of participants.
To examine the effects of PCIT To identify individual characteristics that influence the effects of PCIT.

Participants will:

complete 5 online surveys (1x pre-PCIT, 3x during PCIT, and 1x post-PCIT)
complete the PCIT program

Full description

It is the specific intent of this proposal to experimentally explore the possible benefits and mechanisms through which PCIT can influence self-reported stress and autonomic and neuroendocrine functioning in parents. This will be accomplished by our team by using well-validated self-report measures of mental health, autonomic reactivity, parental stress and attachment, and non-invasive measurements of levels of oxytocin.

Specific Aim 1: To investigate whether pre-intervention measures of ANS reactivity and the neuropeptides oxytocin relate to the overall functioning of the participants.

The investigators will examine how measures of autonomic reactivity and levels of oxytocin relate to prior mental/medical health.
Hypothesis: Participants with lower levels of oxytocin and/or increased autonomic reactivity will report being more impacted by their prior adversity and having more emotional/physical symptoms.

Specific Aim 2: To investigate the impact of PCIT

The investigators will explore whether PCIT leads to improvements in parental stress, parent-child attachment, and parental neuroendocrine functioning.
Hypothesis: Parents will show a significant decrease in perceived stress and improvement in emotional wellbeing oxytocin levels following CDI. They will also show a decrease in perceived stress, and improvement in attachment and emotional wellbeing following the entire PCIT intervention.

Specific Aim 3: To identify individual characteristics that influence the effectiveness of PCIT.

The investigators will explore the impact of specific vulnerability and resiliency factors (e.g., stress, prior adversity) on how well parents benefit from PCIT
Hypothesis: Parental stress and prior mental/medical adversity will negatively impact the effectiveness of intervention

Enrollment

80 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 89 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Parents of children aged 2-7 years old who are eligible for Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) based on behavioral concerns.
The primary caregiver of the child and be actively involved in the child's daily care.
Willing to attend all PCIT sessions and complete pre-, mid- and post-intervention assessments.
Fluent in English to ensure comprehension of the intervention and assessment materials.

Exclusion criteria

Parents with diagnosed severe mental health disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) that may interfere with participation in PCIT.
Children with conditions that require interventions other than PCIT (e.g., severe developmental disabilities).
Parents who have previously participated in PCIT are excluded to avoid confounding results.