Child abuse is a pervasive problem impacting millions of children. Researchers largely rely on parent-report questionnaires to examine risk for child abuse, leaving a gap in research concerning the link between observed parent and child behaviors and child abuse potential. The current study pursued a multi-method approach to explore relations between parent and child factors and child abuse potential (via the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory; BCAP) in a sample of 84 referred for behavioral problems in Australia. About half of the sample engaged in socially desirable responding which resulted in an invalid profile on the BCAP. Therefore, analyses were conducted twice to assess risk factors for child abuse within the standard valid BCAP profile sample (n = 41) and the full sample including valid and invalid profiles (n = 84). Within the valid-only sample, parent emotion dysregulation contributed significantly to the model predicting child abuse potential. However, within the full sample, parent emotion dysregulation, romantic attachment avoidance, stress, and negative touch were significantly associated with child abuse potential. Findings highlight the importance of including parents with invalid BCAP profiles when assessing child abuse potential as these high-risk parents may go unnoticed and miss connections to critical interventions.

Child abuse is a significant public health concern that impacts children worldwide. Efforts to connect at-risk parents with prevention and intervention programs require the use of high-quality measures that evaluate child abuse potential. The widely-used Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (BCAP) contains response bias indices. Little is known about factors that relate to invalid responses and whether these validity scales aid in identifying high-risk parents. Using a sample of 84 mother-toddler dyads referred for child behavior problems to an Australian outpatient clinic, the current study investigated factors that determined the likelihood of having an invalid profile on the BCAP. Logistic regressions evaluated relations between parent, child, and parent-child relational factors associated with the odds of having an invalid BCAP profile. Results indicated that greater parental dysregulation (OR = 1.047, p < 0.001), stress (OR = 1.043, p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (OR = 1.133, p = 0.021), and negative parenting (OR = 57.629, p = 0.049)) were related to increased odds of an invalid BCAP profile. Invalid BCAP profiles frequently occur. Parents with invalid BCAP profiles are a high-risk subset of parents that should be thoughtfully evaluated for child abuse. As parents with invalid BCAP profiles have historically been overlooked within clinical/research settings, the current research may inform best practices and enhance accuracy in parenting evaluations.

With opioid misuse rates increasing dramatically over the past two decades, an entire generation of children faces a heightened risk of adverse physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes. Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based intervention for children aged 2-to-7 years and their caregivers that improves parent–child relationships and child disruptive behaviors. The present study evaluated PCIT outcomes for families impacted by the opioid crisis following a state-wide PCIT dissemination project in West Virginia. PCIT-trained therapists participated in structured interviews and reported on the treatment outcomes of their cases. Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, treatment outcomes were compared for 74 opioid-affected families and 78 non-opioid-affected families. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in positive parenting (p < 0.001) and reductions in negative parenting (p < 0.001) and child disruptive behavior (p < 0.001) with large effects across all outcomes (d = −2.32 to 0.83), despite the majority of cases not completing treatment. There were no significant differences in treatment outcomes between groups. Qualitative findings are presented detailing the experiences of the families affected by the opioid crisis. Findings demonstrate that involvement in PCIT is associated with positive parent and child outcomes for families affected by the opioid crisis. Even without a full course of PCIT, families affected and not affected by opioid use were able to reap the benefits of PCIT.

The devastating impact of the opioid crisis on children and families in West Virginia was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and brought to light the critical need for greater mental health services and providers in the state. Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment for child externalizing symptoms that teaches parents positive and appropriate strategies to manage child behaviors. The current qualitative study details barriers and facilitators to disseminating and implementing PCIT with opioid-impacted families across West Virginia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therapists (n = 34) who participated in PCIT training and consultation through a State Opioid Response grant were asked to provide data about their experiences with PCIT training, consultation, and implementation. Almost all therapists (91%) reported barriers to telehealth PCIT (e.g., poor internet connection, unpredictability of sessions). Nearly half of therapists’ cases (45%) were impacted directly by parental substance use. Qualitative findings about the impact of telehealth and opioid use on PCIT implementation are presented. The dissemination and implementation of PCIT in a state greatly impacted by poor telehealth capacity and the opioid epidemic differed from the implementation of PCIT training and treatment delivery in other states, highlighting the critical importance of exploring implementation factors in rural settings.

Although there is a growing body of evidence that Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an efficacious treatment for disruptive behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorder, further study is warranted to determine its effectiveness for this clinical population. This study examined the effectiveness of PCIT on child disruptive behavior, child compliance, and parenting behaviors among a propensity-score matched sample of 22 children with and without an autism diagnosis in a private practice behavioral health clinic. A combination of parent report and behavioral coding was used to assess changes in treatment outcomes for both groups at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) demonstrated significant and large improvements in child disruptive behavior and parenting skills for both groups over the course of treatment. A significant and large interaction effect was found in correct parent follow-through of a discipline sequence, such that parents of children without ASD had significantly greater improvement upon completion of PCIT than did parents of children with ASD. The current study expands upon the extant literature by demonstrating the effectiveness of PCIT for children with autism spectrum disorder in a private practice setting.

Foster parents face considerable challenges in caring for children in the child welfare system, many of whom have significant behavioral difficulties [1]. Foster parents often lack the training and support needed to manage these externalizing behaviors, which contribute to parenting stress and are highly predictive of placement breakdowns [2, 3]. Although child welfare agencies provide foster parents with pre-service training experiences, they often lack the capacity and financial resources to implement gold standard, evidence-based interventions that address child behavior difficulties. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been well-established as an empirically supported treatment for disruptive behavior, yet standard delivery of PCIT to children in the foster care system is often impractical due to time, financial, childcare, and personnel constraints. Adaptations of PCIT for the foster care setting may remove some of these barriers to treatment. These adaptations have typically retained the parent-coaching principles inherent to PCIT but replaced the traditional 12- to 20-week format with a shorter, less intensive treatment regimen in order to maintain feasibility within the child welfare context. Preliminary findings from studies using abbreviated formats of PCIT suggest effectiveness of such adaptations in reducing externalizing behavior in foster children and maintaining behavioral improvements several months after the end of the treatment.

Disruptive behavior is prevalent in young children in medical settings (e.g., primary and specialty care) and may result in poor health outcomes for the child as well as increased health care system costs [1,2]. Primary care may serve as an opportune environment to detect early behavioral concerns in preschoolers through screeners at wellchild visits. For chronic illness populations, parents may feel increased pressure to ensure that their child is engaging in disease management and, therefore, may resort to ineffective parenting strategies that are comprised of inconsistent discipline and coercion [3]. Currently, few empirically supported treatments have been assessed that target the treatment of behavior concerns with young children in medical settings. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a promising evidencedbased intervention for caregivers and children in medical settings, including children with chronic illnesses, as it focuses on increasing positive parent-child interactions and child compliance.