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Predicting Treatment and Follow-up Attrition in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy

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Abstract

Predictors of attrition from individual parent–child interaction therapy were examined for 99 families of preschoolers with disruptive behavior disorders. Seventy-one percent of treatment dropouts were identified by lower SES, more maternal negative talk, and less maternal total praise at pretreatment. Following PCIT, families were randomly assigned to an Assessment-Only or Maintenance Treatment condition. Higher maternal distress predicted 63% of dropouts in the Assessment-Only condition. Lower maternal intellectual functioning predicted 83% of dropouts from Maintenance Treatment. Findings highlight a continuing need for evidence-based retention strategies at various phases of engagement in PCIT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Melanie A. Fernandez

  2. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 42653, USA

    Sheila M. Eyberg

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  1. Melanie A. Fernandez
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  2. Sheila M. Eyberg
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Correspondence to Melanie A. Fernandez or Sheila M. Eyberg.

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This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (RO1 MH60632). We thank the members of the UF Child Study Laboratory for their contributions to this study.

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Fernandez, M.A., Eyberg, S.M. Predicting Treatment and Follow-up Attrition in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37, 431–441 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9281-1

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