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Preventive intervention and outcome with anxiously attached dyads
A F Lieberman1, D R Weston, J H Pawl
1University of California, San Francisco.
Child Development
|February 1, 1991
Summary
Infant-parent psychotherapy improved attachment quality and social-emotional functioning in anxious 12-month-olds. The intervention led to better outcomes compared to anxious controls, matching secure attachment groups.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Anxious attachment in infants is linked to later social-emotional challenges.
- Early intervention is crucial for improving infant-parent relationships and child development.
- Understanding the impact of psychotherapy on attachment security is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if infant-parent psychotherapy enhances attachment quality and social-emotional functioning.
- To compare intervention outcomes against anxious and secure control groups.
Main Methods:
- Random assignment of anxiously attached 12-month-olds and mothers to intervention or control groups.
- A one-year infant-parent psychotherapy intervention.
- Comparison of attachment and social-emotional outcomes using ANOVAs at 24 months.
Main Results:
- Intervention toddlers showed reduced avoidance, resistance, and anger compared to anxious controls.
- Intervention toddlers exhibited higher partnership with mothers than anxious controls.
- Intervention mothers demonstrated increased empathy and interactiveness; no differences from secure controls.
Conclusions:
- Infant-parent psychotherapy effectively improves social-emotional functioning and attachment security in anxious dyads.
- The intervention's positive effects were comparable to those observed in naturally securely attached infants.
- Therapeutic process within the intervention correlated positively with adaptive child and maternal outcomes.