Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
11:50
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
27.7K
Minding the Baby®: Enhancing parental reflective functioning and infant attachment in an attachment-based,
Arietta Slade1, Margaret L Holland2, Monica Roosa Ordway2
1Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
Development and Psychopathology
|January 15, 2019
Summary
The Minding the Baby (MTB) program improved reflective functioning in first-time mothers and promoted secure infant attachment. This intensive intervention helps prevent disrupted relationships in vulnerable families.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
- Social Work
Background:
- Vulnerable families, particularly young first-time mothers in urban settings, face challenges impacting parent-child relationships.
- The intergenerational transmission of disrupted relationships and insecure attachment is a significant public health concern.
- Intensive early-life interventions are crucial for supporting vulnerable families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Minding the Baby (MTB) intervention in enhancing reflective functioning in mothers.
- To assess the impact of MTB on infant attachment security and disorganization.
- To understand the role of intensive home visiting in preventing negative relational outcomes in early parenthood.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving young first-time mothers in underserved urban communities.
- Intensive interdisciplinary home visiting services provided by nurses and social workers from pregnancy to child's second birthday.
- Assessment of maternal reflective functioning and infant attachment patterns (secure, insecure, disorganized).
Main Results:
- Mothers in the Minding the Baby (MTB) group showed significantly greater increases in reflective functioning compared to the control group.
- Infants in the MTB group were significantly more likely to exhibit secure attachment.
- Infants in the MTB group were significantly less likely to display disorganized attachment.
Conclusions:
- The Minding the Baby (MTB) intervention is effective in enhancing maternal reflective functioning and promoting secure infant attachment.
- Intensive, interdisciplinary home visiting can mitigate risks associated with early parenthood in vulnerable populations.
- MTB shows promise in preventing the intergenerational transmission of disrupted relationships and insecure attachment patterns.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
260
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
260
03:34Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
50.0K
Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
50.0K
01:20Attachment
520
Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
520
01:24Attachment Styles
426
Jeffrey Simpson's attachment theory suggests that early caregiver relationships shape lasting patterns of behavior and emotional regulation, known as attachment styles. These patterns are organized along two key dimensions: self-esteem and interpersonal trust. The intersection of these dimensions produces four primary attachment styles that typically persist throughout life and significantly influence how individuals form and maintain relationships.Secure Attachment StyleIndividuals with a...
426
02:57Attachment of Sister Chromatids
4.1K
As cells progress into mitosis, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the condensed chromosomes are exposed to the array of bipolar microtubules of the mitotic spindle. The kinetochore, a large, disc-shaped protein complex, is present at the centromere region of the sister chromatids and acts as a binding site for the microtubules. Usually, the plus-end of a single microtubule is embedded within the kinetochore. However, some kinetochores first establish lateral contact with the side-wall...
4.1K
01:28Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
467
Attachment theory, developed initially to explain infant–caregiver bonds, has been extended to illuminate patterns of intimacy in adult romantic relationships. Psychologists Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver proposed that the attachment styles observed in infancy form a framework for how individuals approach emotional closeness and conflict in adulthood. These attachment styles—secure, avoidant, and anxious—are linked to enduring patterns of behavior and emotional regulation in...
467