A Domestic Violence Shelter Parent Training Program for Mothers with Young Children

Eight mother-child dyads living at an urban domestic violence extended stay shelter participated in a parent training program modeled on the Child Directed Interaction (CDI) component of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The goal of this study is to report mother's capacity to learn and practice the parenting skills taught in the model while living in the shelter environment. Labeled praises, behavioral descriptions, and reflections were coded as positive comments and criticisms, commands and questions were coded as negative comments during the first 5 min of each session. Positive comments increased from a median of five positive comments during the first session to 30 positive comments at their last session for a median increase of 17.5 positive comments between the first and last sessions. A significant decrease in the use of negative comments was also observed. Mothers demonstrated an increased capacity for using positive comments and an ability to omit negative comments during individual coaching sessions with their children. Further research on the acceptability, practicality, and efficacy of parent training programs in extended stay domestic violence shelters for mothers with young children is warranted.