Tele-PCIT for Healthy Relationships in Families At-Risk

March 5, 2026 updated by: Rosmary Ros-Demarize, Medical University of South Carolina

Fostering Healthy Relationships Through Tele-PCIT for Families of South Carolina

The study will examine Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) delivered via telehealth (Tele-PCIT) for young children at risk for adverse childhood experiences and/or trauma exposure.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, engagement, and initial efficacy of time-limited Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) delivered via telehealth (Tele-PCIT) across 40 young children at risk for adverse childhood experiences and/or trauma exposure. The study compares outcomes between families receiving Tele-PCIT (n = 20) and those assigned to a waitlist control (n = 20). All families will complete baseline, post, and follow-up evaluations to assess child behavioral outcomes, parenting outcomes, and trauma symptoms. In order to be eligible children are between 2 and 7 years of age presenting with behavioral concerns and scoring at-risk on childhood averse events measures.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Recruiting
        • Rutledge Tower
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Child participants must:

    • Be between 2:0-6:11 years old
    • Have elevated levels of disruptive behavior problems as defined by the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI)
    • Have receptive language appropriate for PCIT (approximately 2-years old)
    • Medicaid eligible, or be uninsured
    • Score of 1 or greater on an ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) measure (PEARLS)

  • Parent participants must:

    • Be the child's legal guardian
    • Be able to provide consent for themselves (i.e., have decision making capacity and do not need a legally authorized representative themselves).
    • Must be living with the child

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Waitlist Control
Delayed Start of Tele-PCIT
Behavioral: Telehealth Parent Child Interaction Therapy (Delayed Start)
Delayed start of 12-weeks for delivery of Tele-PCIT. During tele-PCIT, therapists coach parents on parenting strategies while they play with their child during one hour weekly sessions. The first phase of therapy focuses on increasing positive behaviors and the second phase focuses on decreasing negative behaviors with discipline strategies. The therapist and the family will be connected through a video feed on either a phone, tablet, or computer and a Bluetooth headset.
Other Names:
  • Tele-PCIT
  • iPCIT
Experimental: Tele-PCIT
Families in the Tele-PCIT condition will recieve a time limited (10 session) version of PCIT via telehealth.
Behavioral: Telehealth Parent Child Interaction Therapy
During tele-PCIT, therapists coach parents on parenting strategies while they play with their child during one hour weekly sessions. The first phase of therapy focuses on increasing positive behaviors and the second phase focuses on decreasing negative behaviors with discipline strategies. The therapist and the family will be connected through a video feed on either a phone, tablet, or computer and a Bluetooth headset.
Other Names:
  • Tele-PCIT
  • iPCIT

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Parenting Practices
Time Frame: Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up
Measured by the Parenting Scale. The parenting scale is comprised of 30 items rated 1-7 with specific items being averaged to create composites for Laxness, Verbosity, and Overreactivity. Higher scores on each scale indicate higher levels of each parenting behavior.
Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up
Child Behavior
Time Frame: Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up
Measured by Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. The ECBI is comprised of 36 items ranging from 1 to 7 and the overall score has a a minimum of 36 and maximum of 252 with higher scores indicating higher behavioral challenges.
Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up
Trauma Related Symptoms
Time Frame: Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up
Measured by the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen. The CATS contains 15 items measuring traumatic events, 20 items measuring DSM-5 PTSD symptoms, and 5 items measuring psychosocial functioning, with a range of 0-48 and higher scores indicating greater symptoms.
Assessed at Baseline, 12-weeks post baseline, and at a 3-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medical University of South Carolina

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
The Duke Endowment

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Rosmary Ros-Demarize, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 12, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 3, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 5, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Pro00146035
  • 2167-SP (Other Grant/Funding Number: Duke Endowment)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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