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Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Berlin, LJ; Martoccio, TL; Appleyard Carmody, K; Goodman, WB; O'Donnell, K; Williams, J; Murphy, RA; Dodge, KA
Published in: Attach Hum Dev
December 2017

US government-funded early home visiting services are expanding significantly. The most widely implemented home visiting models target at-risk new mothers and their infants. Such home visiting programs typically aim to support infant-parent relationships; yet, such programs' effects on infant attachment quality per se are as yet untested. Given these programs' aims, and the crucial role of early attachments in human development, it is important to understand attachment processes in home visited families. The current, preliminary study examined 94 high-risk mother-infant dyads participating in a randomized evaluation of the Healthy Families Durham (HFD) home visiting program. We tested (a) infant attachment security and disorganization as predictors of toddler behavior problems and (b) program effects on attachment security and disorganization. We found that (a) infant attachment disorganization (but not security) predicted toddler behavior problems and (b) participation in HFD did not significantly affect infant attachment security or disorganization. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential for attachment-specific interventions to enhance the typical array of home visiting services.

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Published In

Attach Hum Dev

DOI

EISSN

1469-2988

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

19

Issue

6

Start / End Page

559 / 579

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Program Evaluation
  • Poverty
  • Object Attachment
  • Mother-Child Relations
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • House Calls
 

Citation

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Berlin, L. J., Martoccio, T. L., Appleyard Carmody, K., Goodman, W. B., O’Donnell, K., Williams, J., … Dodge, K. A. (2017). Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham. Attach Hum Dev, 19(6), 559–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2017.1339359
Berlin, Lisa J., Tiffany L. Martoccio, Karen Appleyard Carmody, W Benjamin Goodman, Karen O’Donnell, Janis Williams, Robert A. Murphy, and Kenneth A. Dodge. “Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham.Attach Hum Dev 19, no. 6 (December 2017): 559–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2017.1339359.
Berlin LJ, Martoccio TL, Appleyard Carmody K, Goodman WB, O’Donnell K, Williams J, et al. Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham. Attach Hum Dev. 2017 Dec;19(6):559–79.
Berlin, Lisa J., et al. “Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham.Attach Hum Dev, vol. 19, no. 6, Dec. 2017, pp. 559–79. Pubmed, doi:10.1080/14616734.2017.1339359.
Berlin LJ, Martoccio TL, Appleyard Carmody K, Goodman WB, O’Donnell K, Williams J, Murphy RA, Dodge KA. Can typical US home visits affect infant attachment? Preliminary findings from a randomized trial of Healthy Families Durham. Attach Hum Dev. 2017 Dec;19(6):559–579.

Published In

Attach Hum Dev

DOI

EISSN

1469-2988

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

19

Issue

6

Start / End Page

559 / 579

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Program Evaluation
  • Poverty
  • Object Attachment
  • Mother-Child Relations
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Infant
  • Humans
  • House Calls