Treatment Engagement and Outcomes in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Mothers with a History of ADHD: A Case Series

Behavioral parent training is the recommended intervention for young children with disruptive behavior and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an empirically supported behavioral parent-training program for families of children ages 3-6 years old.Behavioral parent-training programs, including PCIT, rely on parents as the primary agents of therapeutic change. Parents who face barriers to adequate engagement with these programs may also struggle to implement the changes necessary for children's behavior to improve. Parental characteristics that may prevent treatment engagement, however, are seldom considered in the research literature or in clinical practice.The current case series describes engagement indicators in three mothers taking part in PCIT. Each mother has a history of diagnosed or suspected ADHD, and this series explores their ADHD-related symptoms as they relate to the treatment of their child's behavior.