Treatment of Preschool Depression with Parent Management Training: A Case Study

Depression in young children is a serious and unremitting problem that can negatively affect typical developmental trajectories. Although increasingly recognized as an important clinical issue for treatment, there exists a paucity of evidence-based treatments for preschool depression. The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate that a brief parent management training (PMT) intervention can be an effective treatment for preschool symptoms of depression, both in terms of reducing negative child affect and increasing positive emotional coping, as well as in reducing the disruptive behaviors that commonly present in conjunction with internalizing symptoms.