Early intervention for families experiencing homelessness: A pilot randomized trial comparing two parenting programs

Area of Science:

• Child and family psychology
• Trauma-informed care
• Homelessness research

Background:

• Children experiencing homelessness face significant challenges.
• Parent-child relationship interventions are crucial for this population.
• Feasibility of delivering these interventions in shelters is key.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of time-limited Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).
• To examine the potential effectiveness of PCIT and CPP in improving parent and child outcomes among families experiencing homelessness.

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized study involving 144 young children (18 months-5 years) and their mothers from a women's homeless shelter.
• Random assignment to 12 weeks of on-site PCIT or CPP delivered by shelter clinicians.
• Data collected on attendance, fidelity, satisfaction, and pre/post-intervention assessments, including observational play sessions.

Main Results:

• Both PCIT and CPP demonstrated high fidelity (>90%) and maternal satisfaction (85%), with similar completion rates.
• Both interventions led to reduced child posttraumatic stress, parental stress, and increased positive maternal verbalizations.
• PCIT uniquely improved child externalizing behaviors and reduced negative maternal verbalizations.

Conclusions:

• Time-limited PCIT and CPP are viable and promising interventions for families in homeless shelter settings.
• These therapies show potential for improving outcomes in transitional and shelter environments.
• Further randomized trials are recommended to determine the comparative effectiveness of PCIT and CPP.