Black or African American
62%
Source
Yarger, H. A., Bronfman, E., Carlson, E., & Dozier, M. (2019). Intervening with Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up to decrease disrupted parenting behavior and attachment disorganization: The role of parental withdrawal. Development and Psychopathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419000786
Model(s) Reviewed
Study Registration
Funding Sources
This research was supported by Award Numbers R01MH052135, R01MH074374, and R01MH084135 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Study Design
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | High | Established on race/ethnicity and SES; outcomes not feasible to assess at baseline | None |
Notes
This manuscript analyzes findings from the same randomized controlled trial as Bernard et al. (2012). Additional contextual information about the study and to determine attrition is from Bernard et al. (2012) and based on correspondence with the author.
Study Participants
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) assigned eligible families to either ABC-Infant or a comparison home visiting program. Eligible families were participants in a foster care diversion program with children younger than 2 years who were referred to the program from Child Protective Services for various issues placing children at risk (for example, domestic violence, parental substance use, homelessness, or neglect). A total of 105 mother-child dyads were included in the study at follow-up (50 in the ABC-Infant group and 55 in the comparison group). In the ABC-Infant group, 64 percent of children were African American, 12 percent were Caucasian, 24 percent were biracial, and 20 percent were Latino. The majority (56 percent) of households reported an annual income of less than $10,000.
Setting
The study was conducted in a large mid-Atlantic city.
Home Visiting Services
ABC-Infant consisted of 10 weekly hour-long home visits. The sessions focused on five topic areas: providing nurturance, following the child’s lead, refraining from frightening behavior, parents recognizing the effect of their own childhood experiences on their parenting behavior, and learning the importance of touch and children’s emotions. Across all sessions, parent trainers engaged parents in structured activities with their children and then provided feedback on observations of participants’ parenting behavior, both in real-time and by playing back video recordings from the sessions.
Comparison Conditions
Comparison families received Developmental Education for Families (DEF) in home visits that were the same duration (10 hour-long sessions) and frequency (weekly) as ABC-Infant. DEF was designed to enhance cognitive and linguistic development. For this study, the components related to parental sensitivity were removed to distinguish it from ABC-Infant.
Were any subgroups examined?
No
Study Participants
This randomized controlled trial (RCT) assigned eligible families to either ABC-Infant or a comparison home visiting program. Eligible families were participants in a foster care diversion program with children younger than 2 years who were referred to the program from Child Protective Services for various issues placing children at risk (for example, domestic violence, parental substance use, homelessness, or neglect). A total of 105 mother-child dyads were included in the study at follow-up (50 in the ABC-Infant group and 55 in the comparison group). In the ABC-Infant group, 64 percent of children were African American, 12 percent were Caucasian, 24 percent were biracial, and 20 percent were Latino. The majority (56 percent) of households reported an annual income of less than $10,000.
Setting
The study was conducted in a large mid-Atlantic city.
Home Visiting Services
ABC-Infant consisted of 10 weekly hour-long home visits. The sessions focused on five topic areas: providing nurturance, following the child’s lead, refraining from frightening behavior, parents recognizing the effect of their own childhood experiences on their parenting behavior, and learning the importance of touch and children’s emotions. Across all sessions, parent trainers engaged parents in structured activities with their children and then provided feedback on observations of participants’ parenting behavior, both in real-time and by playing back video recordings from the sessions.
Comparison Conditions
Comparison families received Developmental Education for Families (DEF) in home visits that were the same duration (10 hour-long sessions) and frequency (weekly) as ABC-Infant. DEF was designed to enhance cognitive and linguistic development. For this study, the components related to parental sensitivity were removed to distinguish it from ABC-Infant.
Were any subgroups examined?
No
Findings that rate moderate or high in this manuscript
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Parental affective communication errors |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.31 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.33 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
||
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Parental role/boundary confusion |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.32 | Not statistically significant, p= 0.74 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
||
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Parental fearful/disoriented |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.12 | Not statistically significant, p= 0.52 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
||
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Parental intrusive/negativity |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.10 | Not statistically significant, p= 0.60 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
||
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Parental withdrawal |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.42 | Statistically significant, p= 0.03 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
||
Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE) Scale - Disrupted parenting |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.24 | Not statistically significant, p= 0.31 |
105 mothers | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strange Situation Procedure - Disorganized attachment |
7 months after enrollment (1 month post-intervention) |
Moderate | 0.34 | Not statistically significant, p= 0.16 |
105 children | ABC-Infant vs. DEF; Large mid-Atlantic city |
This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:
Race/Ethnicity
Maternal Education
Other Characteristics
This study included participants from the following locations:
- State not reported or international