Promoting a secure attachment: A primary prevention practice model

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that early sensitive care-giving predicts a secure attachment in infancy and early childhood.This preliminary report details the development, implementation and evaluation of a clinical programme that used a targeted prevention approach following a universally-offered screening of parent-infant interactions. The CARE-Index was used to assign dyads to low, medium and high risk groups, and interventions - featuring reflective videotape-based feedback - were tailored to each risk group in order to increase maternal sensitivity and improve infant attachment status. Results showed improved maternal sensitivity in the intervention conditions compared to comparisons. In addition, infants in the intervention conditions were significantly more likely to be classified as secure, and significantly less likely to be classified as having DMM complex attachment strategies. Methodological shortcomings, however, mean that these findings should be regarded as tentative.