Manuscript Details

Thorpe, D., Silver, J., Perrone, L., DeSantis, N., Dash, A., Rodriguez, M., ... & Bernard, K. (2022). Ecological predictors of parental beliefs about infant crying in a randomized clinical trial of ABC.  Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 51(5), 780-795. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2021.1916939

Peer Reviewed

Model(s): Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up–Infant (ABC-Infant)
Study Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov
High rating
This manuscript received a rating of high because it is a randomized-controlled trial with low-attrition.

Study reviewed under: Handbook of Procedures and Standards, Version 2.3
Positive Parenting Practices
Outcome Measure Timing of Follow-Up Rating Direction of Effect Effect Size (Absolute Value) Stastical Significance Sample Size Sample Description
Infant Crying Questionnaire (ICQ): Directive Control subscale 7 months after enrollment High
0.05 Not statistically significant, p= 0.56 200 caregivers ABC-Infant vs. waitlist control RCT, New York City, 2016-2017, full sample
Infant Crying Questionnaire (ICQ): Minimization subscale 7 months after enrollment High
0.36 Statistically significant, p= 0.00 200 caregivers ABC-Infant vs. waitlist control RCT, New York City, 2016-2017, full sample
Effect rating key
Favorable finding / Statistically significant
Unfavorable finding / Statistically significant
Ambiguous finding / Statistically significant
No effect / Not statistically significant

Note: Tables do not include findings that HomVEE rated low or indeterminate, or found to be ineligible for review.

This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:

Race/Ethnicity

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if Hispanic ethnicity was reported separately or respondents could select two or more race or ethnicity categories.

American Indian or Alaska Native
1%
Asian
1%
Black or African American
70%
Hispanic or Latino
15%
White
2%
Some other race
3%
Two or more races
9%
Unknown
2%

Maternal Education

Data not available

Other Characteristics

Indigenous population
1%

This study included participants from the following locations:

  • New York
Study Participants
  • The study participants were parents who had experienced adversity in early caregiving relationships.
  • A total of 200 parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to either the home visiting intervention group (100 dyads) or the waitlist comparison group (100 dyads).
  • At enrollment, the children ranged in age from 5 to 21 months.
  • Outcomes were measured approximately seven months after enrollment, about one month after families completed home visits.
Setting

Study participants were recruited from Power of Two, a community-based organization in New York City that supports families experiencing poverty and involvement with the child welfare system.

Intervention condition
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up–Infant (ABC-Infant)

Note: Navigate to the model page for more information about the home visiting model. See the source manuscript for more information about how the model was implemented in this study.

Comparison Conditions

Comparison families were placed in a waitlist control group that did not receive the home visiting intervention during the study period.

Author Affiliation

The study authors were affiliated with Stony Brook University’s Department of Psychology and the Power of Two organization. One author, Kristin Bernard, is the developer of the ABC intervention and was directly involved in training implementers on the model and overseeing the implementation.

Funding Sources

The study was supported by the Fund for the City of New York and additional funders through Power of Two, including the Viola W. Bernard Foundation and Tiger Foundation.

Study design characteristics contributing to rating
Design Random assignment compromised? Attrition Baseline equivalence Confounding factors? Valid, reliable measures?
Randomized controlled trial No Low

Not assessed for randomized controlled trials with low attrition

No

Yes
Notes from the review of this manuscript

Findings from the Infant Crying Questionnaire (ICQ) Spoiling subscale received a low rating because the measure does not satisfy HomVEE measure reliability requirements. The manuscript reports a moderating analysis with the score on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale, individual burden composite, and crime density as the moderators. However, these moderators are not eligible for review. The manuscript also reports two structural equation models (SEMs) that are not eligible for review. The first SEM is not eligible for review because it does not include the home visiting intervention as the independent (causal) variable. The second SEM is not eligible because it has no eligible outcomes. Information on sample sizes, data collection procedures, estimation approaches, and outcome measures is based on correspondence with one of the manuscript's authors.