The effect of child–parent relationship therapy-based play support on parental stress and acceptance, and child behaviours in children who witness domestic violence: Randomized controlled study

Abstract

In domestic violence (DV), the deterioration of parental skills in mothers, increased stress levels and child behaviour issues are the most common problems. In DV, the way to cope with the difficulties encountered is to strengthen relationships within the family. In this study, we aimed to reduce maternal stress levels and problematic child behaviours and increase the child acceptance level in children who have witnessed domestic violence (WDV) with child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT). This study is a randomized controlled study with pretest–posttest intervention and control groups. In the study, 20 mothers were in the intervention group, and 18 were in the control group. A 10-week CPRT-focused training program was applied to the intervention group. After the training of the mothers in the intervention group was completed, 2-h training on communication skills was given to the mothers in the control group. The data include parents' reports through three surveys: the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Parental Form (PAR) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). In the study, it was determined in the group comparisons that the total scores of PSI, PAR and SDQ significantly reduced between the application and pre-application terms for the intervention group (p < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the control group (p > 0.05). The results highlight the benefits and importance of including both mothers and children in therapeutic interventions for children who have WDV, with particular emphasis on CPRT benefits.