2026/01/26 by Megan Shipley, Alice R. Norton, Maree J. Abbott · 1 voice
Medicine · Psychology · #Child Abuse and Trauma #Child Therapy and Development #Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
paper · doi:10.1037/tra0002110
openalex publication_date 2026/01/26 · openalex created_date 2026/01/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
OBJECTIVE: Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is the gold standard treatment for traumatized children and their parents that shows robust positive impacts for children. However, it is not clear how parents may benefit from the therapy. This systematic review synthesizes the current evidence relating to the impact of TF-CBT for parenting and parent mental health. METHOD: APA PsycInfo, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were systematically searched, and empirical articles were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated TF-CBT delivered to a child and their parent and reported at least one mental health or parenting outcome for the participating parent. Narrative synthesis was conducted on 10 studies, published across 14 eligible articles. RESULTS: Small-to-medium positive effects were evident for both parenting and parent mental health, including improved depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms and cognitions, emotional reactivity, and lower distress. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are promising but emerging, as the evidence base is currently small. Given the reciprocal relationship between child and parent mental health and the potential negative impact of child trauma on both parent mental health and parenting, improving parent outcomes can help meet the dual aim of supporting parents and enabling them to help their child recover. Further research is required to understand which parents benefit from TF-CBT, the process by which they benefit, and how this relates to child outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).