Pandemic Silver Linings: Examining I-PCIT in a New Telehealth Era

COVID-19 has led to increased stress for children and families worldwide, increasing and exacerbating the emotional and functional impact of mental and behavioral health disorders. Fortunately, telehealth offers a psychological service delivery option for treating mental and behavioral health disorders when in-person services may not be plausible or preferred. During non-pandemic times, internet delivery of PCIT (I-PCIT) has been shown to be similarly effective as standard PCIT delivered in clinic. However, the added stresses of a pandemic may negatively impact the effectiveness of I-PCIT.

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare treatment outcomes, using the ECBI, in families receiving in-person PCIT prior to the pandemic to families who participated in I-PCIT during COVID-19.

Preliminary data found that the treatment was successful regardless of delivery method (t = -13.84, p < .001) and that children receiving I-PCIT during the pandemic improved at similar rates to those receiving standard PCIT prior to COVID-19 (t = 1.34, p > .05). Additionally, caregivers acquired CDI skills at similar rates regardless of the delivery method (t = -1.15, p > .05).

Despite concerns of increased parental stress and child behavioral challenges during the pandemic, I-PCIT remains an effective, robust treatment program. This promising effectiveness data, coupled with caregiver report of increased accessibility, highlights the unique strengths of telehealth services. Perhaps one of the silver linings of the pandemic is the reduction in barriers to treatment made possible by telehealth, emphasizing the need for behavioral health services to continue to incorporate internet delivery beyond pandemic times.