Group attachment-based intervention: trauma-informed care for families with adverse childhood experiences

This article outlines the main premises of an innovative trauma-informed intervention, group attachment-based intervention, specifically developed to target vulnerable families with infants and toddlers, living in one of the poorest urban counties in the nation. It also reports on the trauma-relevant characteristics of 60 families entering a clinical trial to study the effectiveness of Group Attachment-Based Intervention. Initial survey results revealed high levels of neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction in mothers' histories (77% reported ≥4 adverse childhood experiences, with more than 90% reporting 2 or more current toxic stressors, including poverty, obesity, domestic and community violence, and homelessness).