Effective strategies for promoting attachment between young children and their parents
Doughty, C
Record ID 32007000568
English
Authors' objectives:
This Technical Brief aimed to systematically identify and appraise international evidence on the effectiveness of specific interventions for promoting attachment between young children and their parents.
Authors' recommendations:
Changes reported in attachment security were generally in a direction consistent with attachment theory; however effect sizes were relatively modest. Less broad interventions that target sensitive maternal behaviour are among those that are the most successful both at improving insensitive parenting and promoting better infant attachment security.
Results suggest that the most effective interventions do not always use a large number of sessions with families, in fact fewer contacts may be more effective. There is good evidence supporting the use of behaviourally focused interventions and these types of interventions, with or without video feedback are effective regardless of the presence or absence of multiple problems in the family. Highly intensive interventions with numerous sessions focusing on sensitivity, representation and support may not be as effective as less intensive approaches.
Overall, evidence from primary and secondary research shows that a variety of types of intervention for enhancing maternal sensitivity and to a lesser extent attachment security are effective, with nearly all of the studies appraised in this review involving the use of some form of home visiting to deliver the intervention.
Authors' methods:
Review
Details
Project Status:
Completed
URL for project:
http://nzhta.chmeds.ac.nz/publications.htm
Year Published:
2007
English language abstract:
An English language summary is available
Publication Type:
Not Assigned
Country:
New Zealand
MeSH Terms
- Child, Preschool
- Object Attachment
- Parent-Child Relations
Contact
Organisation Name:
New Zealand Health Technology Assessment
Contact Address:
Department of Public Health and General Practice, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 4345, Christchurch, New Zealand. Tel: +64 3 364 1145; Fax: +64 3 364 1152;
Contact Name:
nzhta@chmeds.ac.nz
Contact Email:
nzhta@chmeds.ac.nz
Copyright:
New Zealand Health Technology Assessment (NZHTA)
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.