Parental views of PCIT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring parental perceptions of the value and delivery of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for children with language difficulties.
IRAS ID
254074
Contact name
Vasiliki Saounatsou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cwm Taf University Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 21 days
Research summary
Speech and Language Therapy services throughout Wales provide support to children with language difficulties and their families, in order to help them reach their potential.
The Wales Early Language Pathway, approved in 2016 by all managers of Speech and Language Therapy departments in Wales, advocates that Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) should be the first therapeutic intervention offered to children with these difficulties.
Research shows that PCIT has a positive effect on the child's language. However it relies heavily on parental engagement and commitment. Clinical experience shows that a large proportion of the families we serve locally often struggle to engage in the therapy process and they are discharged from the service for non-attendance. As a result, these children do not obtain the benefits of PCIT at an early stage and, potentially risk developing embedded difficulties that could be more resistant to future treatment. Therefore, it is important to gain some understanding of parents’ views of PCIT and the challenges participation in it brings to help improve successful take up of therapy.
The proposed study aims to gain local data on the proportion of families who engage with PCIT locally and identify some initial factors that may affect parental engagement levels with this approach. This will be achieved by analysing retrospective data from current or discharged Speech and Language Therapy files (PCIT conducted in 2018). It also aims to explore the views of approximately 20 parents offered PCIT in Cwm Taf UHB through parental semi-structured interviews. In particular, it aims to compare the responses of parents who attended and those who did not attend their appointments, with the intention to reach the latter group and tailor the therapy to their needs in the future.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/2154
Date of REC Opinion
20 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion