Outcomes of Prolonged Parent-Child Embrace Therapy among 102 children with behavioral disorders

A growing body of research in neuroscience points to the impact of variations in maternal nurturing on child development and provides a rationale for interventions that target stress adaptation conditioning through natural family nurturing. This pilot study was collected within the course of private practice to assess the progress of children with severe behavioral disorders who were treated effectively with a multiple family therapy prototype, Prolonged Parent-Child Embrace (PPCE) Therapy. Subjects were a consecutive series of 102 patient children aged 4-18 years and their families. Children and their family members were guided for 16h over two consecutive days through intense PPCE Therapy. Families were instructed to continue PPCE Therapy at home for at least 1 year. Scores were compared statistically using t-tests and analysis of variance. For 96 children scores declined on two written measures by approximately 50% between baseline and follow-up (P<0.001). Results showed that PPCE Therapy resulted in significant and prolonged improvements in symptomatic behavior in a majority of children.