Bringing Parent–Child Interaction Therapy to South Africa: Barriers and Facilitators and Overall Feasibility—First Steps to Implementation

John-Joe Dawson-Squibb, Eugene Lee Davids, Rhea Chase, Eve Puffer, Justin D. M. Rasmussen, Lauren Franz and Petrus J. de Vries
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John-Joe Dawson-Squibb: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
Eugene Lee Davids: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
Rhea Chase: Judge Baker Children’s Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Eve Puffer: Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
Justin D. M. Rasmussen: Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
Lauren Franz: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
Petrus J. de Vries: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: There is a large assessment and treatment gap in child and adolescent mental health services, prominently so in low- and middle-income countries, where 90% of the world’s children live. There is an urgent need to find evidence-based interventions that can be implemented successfully in these low-resource contexts. This pre-pilot study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to implementation as well as overall feasibility of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in South Africa. A reflective and consensus building workshop was used to gather South African PCIT therapist (N = 4) perspectives on barriers, facilitators, and next steps to implementation in that country. Caregiver participants (N = 7) receiving the intervention in South Africa for the first time were also recruited to gather information on overall feasibility. Facilitators for implementation, including its strong evidence base, manualisation, and training model were described. Barriers relating to sustainability and scalability were highlighted. Largely positive views on acceptability from caregiver participants also indicated the promise of PCIT as an intervention in South Africa. Pilot data on the efficacy of the treatment for participating families are a next step. These initial results are positive, though research on how implementation factors contribute to the longer-term successful dissemination of PCIT in complex, heterogeneous low-resource settings is required.

Keywords: implementation; low- and middle-income countries; child and adolescent mental health; Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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