Impacts of the Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH TM ) Parenting Program on Mothers and Their Children at Risk of Maltreatment: Phase 2 Results

Nicole Letourneau (), Lubna Anis, Jason Novick, Carrie Pohl, Henry Ntanda and Martha Hart
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Nicole Letourneau: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Faculty of Nursing, and Cumming School of Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Lubna Anis: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Jason Novick: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Carrie Pohl: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Henry Ntanda: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Martha Hart: Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Early adversity (e.g., family violence, parental depression, low income) places children at risk for maltreatment and negatively impacts developmental outcomes. Optimal parental reflective function (RF), defined as the parent’s ability to think about and identify thoughts, feelings, and mental states in themselves and in their children, is linked to secure attachment and may protect against suboptimal outcomes. We present the results of Phase 2 randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies (QES) of the Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH TM ) parental RF intervention for families with children at risk for maltreatment. Phase 2 parents experiencing adversity, along with their children aged 0–5 years ( n = 45), received the 10–12-week ATTACH TM intervention. Building on completed Phase 1 pilot data, Phase 2 examined outcomes of long-standing interest, including parental RF and child development, as well as new outcomes, including parental perceived social support and executive function, and children’s behavior, sleep, and executive function. RCTs and QES revealed significant improvements in parents’ RF, perception of social support, and executive function, children’s development (i.e., communication, problem-solving, personal–social, and fine motor skills), and a decrease in children’s sleep and behavioral problems (i.e., anxiety/depression, attention problems, aggressive behavior, and externalizing problems), post-intervention. ATTACH™ positively impacts parental RF to prevent negative impacts on children at risk of maltreatment.

Keywords: ATTACH TM; parental reflective function; parenting intervention; child development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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