Parent-child interactive intervention cuts depression

Medical X-Press – Staff Writer

An intervention targeting depression in very young children can be effective in community settings, according to a study published online June 20 in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Joan L. Luby, M.D., from Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy (parent-child interaction therapy with a novel “emotion development” module [PCIT-ED]) for early childhood depression that focuses on enhancing the child’s emotional competence and emotion regulation. The intervention was compared to a waiting-list group in 229 parent-child dyads (children aged 3 to 6.11 years). (more)