Lubna Anis1,2, Nicole Letourneau1,3, Karen Benzies1, Carol Ewashen1, Martha J Hart1,3. 1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. 2. Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. 3. Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to chronic stressors (poverty, addiction, family violence) in early life can derail children's development. Interventions focused on parental reflective function may promote parents' abilities to regulate their feelings and behaviors toward their children and buffer the impact of chronic stressors on children's development by nurturing high-quality parent-child interaction. PURPOSE: To test the effectiveness of parental reflective function-focused intervention entitled Attachment and Child Health on parent-child interaction and child development. METHODS: We conducted two pilots with vulnerable mothers and children <36 months. Randomized controlled trial (n = 20) and quasi-experimental (n = 10) methods tested the effect of Attachment and Child Health on parent-child interaction via Parent-Child Interaction Teaching Scale (PCITS) and on child development via Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) and Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Social Emotional (ASQSE). We employed analysis of covariance and t-tests to examine the outcomes. RESULTS: For randomized controlled trial, we found significant improvements in PCITS parent total, combined total, and cognitive growth fostering scores, and ASQ-3 personal-social scores post-intervention. For quasi-experimental study, we found significant improvements in PCITS combined total, sensitivity to cues, response to child's distress, and responsiveness to caregiver scores. CONCLUSION: Incorporating Attachment and Child Health contributed to effective programming for vulnerable families with young children.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Exposure to chronic stressors (poverty, addiction, family violence) in early life can derail children's development. Interventions focused on parental reflective function may promote parents' abilities to regulate their feelings and behaviors toward their children and buffer the impact of chronic stressors on children's development by nurturing high-quality parent-child interaction. PURPOSE: To test the effectiveness of parental reflective function-focused intervention entitled Attachment and Child Health on parent-child interaction and child development. METHODS: We conducted two pilots with vulnerable mothers and children <36 months. Randomized controlled trial (n = 20) and quasi-experimental (n = 10) methods tested the effect of Attachment and Child Health on parent-child interaction via Parent-Child Interaction Teaching Scale (PCITS) and on child development via Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) and Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Social Emotional (ASQSE). We employed analysis of covariance and t-tests to examine the outcomes. RESULTS: For randomized controlled trial, we found significant improvements in PCITS parent total, combined total, and cognitive growth fostering scores, and ASQ-3 personal-social scores post-intervention. For quasi-experimental study, we found significant improvements in PCITS combined total, sensitivity to cues, response to child's distress, and responsiveness to caregiver scores. CONCLUSION: Incorporating Attachment and Child Health contributed to effective programming for vulnerable families with young children.
Authors: Lubna Anis; Kharah Ross; Henry Ntanda; Martha Hart; Nicole Letourneau Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-07-10 Impact factor: 4.614