Pre-post differences in outcomes associated with participation in the Criar sin violencia © brief psychotherapy protocol in an Ecuadorian sample: an observational study.

Domestic violence against children is a form of co-living violence that is widespread worldwide. In Ecuador, verbal and physical aggression against children is often used to correct misbehavior. Exposure to this violence during childhood is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, the intergenerational transmission of domestic violence, and a an increased likelihood of involvement in criminal activity in adulthood. Individual interventions have been found to be effective to address some of the factors that endorse abusive parenting. In 2023, the protocol of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy Criar sin violencia © was developed for this purpose. This study aimed to assess pre-post changes following the application of the Criar sin violencia © protocol, using a single-group design without a control group, to generate empirical evidence regarding its potential association with observed changes. A non-probabilistic sample (n = 38) was used. Participants were parents who used violent discipline against their children living in Quito- Ecuador. Data were collected through two questionnaires: Dimensions of Discipline Inventory (DDI) form P and SCL-90-R. The questionnaires were administered before and at the end of the application of the psychotherapeutic protocol. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was prespecified as the primary inferential method because it provides a distribution-free assessment of within-subject change and is appropriate for studies with relatively small sample sizes. The main results were that after the application of the protocol, there was a significant reduction in psychological distress, specifically in the dimension hostility; as well as a significant reduction in the approval of the use of corporal punishment and the frequency of use of corporal punishment and psychological aggression to correct misbehavior in children. These results suggest changes in specific behaviors of violent discipline and cognitive appraisal that increase the predisposition of parents to use violent discipline against their children, that may be associated with the application of the protocol. However, limitations in sample size and measurement strategies do not allow us to establish a causal relationship. More research is necessary to strengthen the evidence about the changes related to the application of this protocol.