The importance of parenting in the development of disorganized attachment: evidence from a preventive intervention study in adoptive families

• Published in: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 263 - 274
• Main Authors: Juffer, Femmie, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J., van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing 01.03.2005; Wiley-Blackwell; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adopted children; Adoption; Age Factors; At Risk Persons; attachment; Attachment Behavior; Attachment disorders; Behavior disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child clinical studies; Child Rearing; Comparative Analysis; Control Groups; Early intervention programmes; Effectiveness; Families & family life; Feedback (Response); Female; Humans; Infant; Infants; Intervention; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Object Attachment; Parent-Child relationships; Parenting; Parenting style; Parenting Styles; Parents & parenting; Personality Disorders - prevention & control; Personality Disorders - psychology; Prevention; Prevention programs; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rating Scales; Risk; Risk factors; Scores; Temperament; Video Technology; Videotape Recording; Young Children; Human; Prevention; Treatment; Affective attachment; attachment; parent-child relationships; Development; intervention; Child; Adoption; Parent child relation
• ISSN: 0021-9630; 1469-7610
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00353.x

Background:  As infant disorganized attachment is a serious risk factor for later child psychopathology, it is important to examine whether attachment disorganization can be prevented or reduced. Method:  In a randomized intervention study involving 130 families with 6‐month‐old adopted infants, two attachment‐based intervention programs were tested. In the first program, mothers were provided a personal book, and in the second program mothers received the same personal book and three home‐based sessions of video feedback. The third group did not receive intervention (control group). Results:  The intervention with video feedback and the personal book resulted in enhanced maternal sensitive responsiveness (d = .65). Children of mothers who received this intervention were less likely to be classified as disorganized attached at the age of 12 months (d = .46), and received lower scores on the rating scale for disorganization than children in the control group (d = .62). In the book‐only intervention group children showed lower disorganization ratings compared to the control group, but no effect on the number of infants with disorganized attachment classifications was found. Conclusion:  Our short‐term preventive intervention program with video feedback and a book lowered the rate of disorganized attachment. The effectiveness of our intervention documents the importance of parenting in the development of infant attachment disorganization.