Coaching parents to change: the impact of in vivo feedback on parents' acquisition of skills.
Behavioral parent training (BPT) includes a variety of evidence-based treatments with diverse techniques to alter parent behavior. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is an innovative BPT with its use of in vivo feedback (i.e., "coaching") during parent-child interactions. An experimental design was used to assess whether coaching without elaborate didactic improves parenting. Sixty mothers with children 2 to 7 years old were recruited from the community and randomly assigned to a coaching or no coaching group. After a baseline assessment, all dyads participated in two play interactions 1 week apart during which parents in the coaching group were provided with in vivo feedback. Coached parents displayed significant improvements in skills, and coaching predicted skill gains beyond the influence of baseline ability. Findings suggest that providing parents with feedback through in vivo coaching is an important mechanism of change.
Shanley
Jenelle R
JR
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1100 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117, USA. Jenelle-Shanley@ouhsc.edu
Niec
Larissa N
LN
D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005196:Family Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support