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Symposia

Child / Adolescent - Externalizing

Expanding Behavioral Parent Training Models to Include Older Children: Novel Intervention Adaptations for Middle Childhood

2 - (SYM 60) PCIT for Older Children: Evaluating a Treatment Adaptation for Children Ages 7 - 10

Sunday, November 23, 2025
12:18 PM - 12:32 PM CST
Location: Strand 11A&B, Level 2
Keywords: PCIT (Parent Child Interaction Therapy), Child, Parent Training
Recommended Readings: Ghandour, R. M., Sherman, L. J., Vladutiu, C. J., Ali, M. M., Lynch, S. E., Bitsko, R. H., & Blumberg, S. J. (2019). Prevalence and treatment of depression, anxiety, and conduct problems in US children. The Journal of Pediatrics, 206, 256–270.,   Kaminski, J. W., & Claussen, A. H. (2017). Evidence based update for psychosocial treatments for disruptive behaviors in children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 46(4), 477-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1310044,   McCart, M.R., & Sheidow, A. J. (2016). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for adolescents with disruptive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 45(5), 529-563. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1146990,   Lieneman, C., Brabson, L., Highlander, A., Wallace, N., & McNeil, C. (2017). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Current perspectives. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 10, 239-256. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S91200,   Briegel W. (2018). Tailoring Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for older children: A case study.Zeitschrift fur Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie,46(4), 298304. https://doi.org/10.1024/1422-4917/a000536
Abstract Body

Research on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for children over the age of 7 has explored various adaptations, such as removing time-out, implementing incentive charts, restricting privileges, or adjusting parent goal criteria (Briegel, 2018; Cohen et al., 2012; Stokes et al., 2017). However, prior studies have been limited by small sample sizes and lack of standardization in adaptations. This presentation examines treatment outcomes for 54 families in the United States receiving a standardized adaptation of PCIT for Older Children (PCIT-OC; Gibson et al. 2021) ages 7-10. 
Twelve therapists provided data for parent-reported child disruptive behavior, observed positive parenting skills, and observed negative parenting skills across treatment. Paired-samples t-tests revealed statistically significant (p < .001) improvements across all outcomes with large effect sizes (d = 1.00-1.56), despite the majority of cases not yet completing treatment or prematurely terminating services (66.7%). Cases that completed treatment (33.3%) attended an average of 25 sessions and reported child externalizing behaviors within normal limits by the final assessment. These results indicate that the standardized adaptation of PCIT-OC produces similar improvements in child and parent outcomes as standard PCIT. Furthermore, the findings highlight the potential for PCIT-OC to be an effective intervention for older children with disruptive behavior, expanding the application of PCIT beyond its traditional age range.