The impact of the “Attachment and Biobehavioural Catch‐Up” program on attachment related parent behavior—A systematic review
Abstract
“Attachment and Biobehavioural Catch‐Up” (ABC) is a 10 session home visiting program, grounded in attachment theory. It aims to improve child emotion regulation, attachment and behavioral outcomes through changing caregivers’ attachment related behaviors. There is increasing evidence with respect to the effectiveness of ABC in producing positive child outcomes, but the intervention's direct effect on parent outcomes remains unclear. This review examined the association of ABC with attachment related parent outcomes. The PubMed, EMBASE, PyschINFO and SCOPUS databases were searched for relevant studies in August 2021, and again in April 2022. The eligibility criteria for included studies were (1) infants aged 0–27 months at time of the ABC intervention, (2) “at risk” parents, (3) controlled trials published in peer‐reviewed journals and (4) utilized a measure of attachment related parent outcomes. Eleven eligible studies were included. The findings showed ABC had a significant small to medium effect on a variety of attachment related parent outcomes among parents presenting with multiple psychosocial risk factors. “Sensitivity” was measured most frequently, with small to medium main effect sizes recorded at follow‐up, compared to controls. Implications for the clinical effectiveness of the ABC program in community settings are discussed. Future research should clarify who ABC is most effective for and how it compares to similar interventions.
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ABC has had reported ds ranging from 0.08 to 0.7.
“For example, ABC, which has had reported ds ranging from 0.08 to 0.7 [68]”
From Optimizing parenting and child outcomes following parent–child interaction therapy – toddler: a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [68]
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- Authors
- O'Byrne, E., McCusker, C., & McSweeney, S.
- Affiliations
- University College Cork (IE)
- School of Applied Psychology University College Cork Cork Ireland
- Corresponding author
- O'Byrne, Emma
- ORCID
- O'Byrne, Emma
- Venue
- Infant Mental Health Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2022-12-24
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 76-91
- ISSN
- 0163-9641 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-0355
- OpenAlex
- W4312140264
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 0.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Infant Mental Health Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- home visits, attachment theory, parental sensitivity, at-risk parents, infant development, child emotion regulation, behavioral effects, early intervention
- MeSH terms
- Emotional Regulation, Child, Humans, Infant, Object Attachment, Parents, Parenting, Caregivers
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