Research Information System
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, vol.33, no.2, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of Child–Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) among earthquake-affected preschool children and their mothers in Türkiye. Method: Using a quasi-experimental controlled design, participants were assigned to experimental (n = 12), placebo (n = 12), and control (n = 12) groups. Parental empathy, parent–child relationship and children's posttraumatic emotional distress, affective and behavioural problems were assessed at pretest, posttest and 2-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Results: Mothers in the CPRT group showed significant improvements in empathy. Children's loneliness/sleep problems decreased short term, while emotional distress and impulsivity declined significantly at 1-year follow-up. However, fear/anxiety scores increased across all groups, and no significant group differences were found in emotional–behavioural problems or parent–child relationship scores. Conclusion: CPRT emerged as an effective intervention in some aspects of children's posttrauma well-being, yet ongoing environmental stressors and parents' psychological conditions limited the sustainability of therapeutic gains.