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Improving infants' stress-induced cortisol regulation through attachment-based intervention: A randomized controlled
Lisa J Berlin1, Tiffany L Martoccio2, Crystal I Bryce3
1University of Maryland School of Social Work, 525 West Redwood St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, United States.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
|February 5, 2019
Summary
Attachment-based parenting interventions, like Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), improve infant cortisol regulation during stress. This enhances maternal sensitivity, benefiting infant physiological responses.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Biology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Attachment-based interventions show promise for early cortisol regulation.
- Previous research focused on diurnal cortisol in high-risk infants.
- The impact on stress-induced cortisol in typically developing infants is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test an enhanced Early Head Start (EHS) model combining home-based services with the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) intervention.
- To examine the intervention's effect on stress-induced cortisol production in low-income infants.
- To identify potential mediating mechanisms, such as maternal sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 153 low-income mothers and their infants (average age 12.4 months).
- Intervention group received home-based EHS plus ABC; control group received home-based EHS plus books.
- Intent-to-treat analyses used multilevel models to assess cortisol changes in response to mild stressors.
Main Results:
- A significant indirect intervention effect was found on infants' cortisol change rates during stress.
- The ABC intervention increased maternal sensitivity.
- Increased maternal sensitivity was linked to improved infant cortisol regulation, especially cortisol recovery rates.
Conclusions:
- The EHS plus ABC intervention effectively supports infants' stress-induced cortisol regulation.
- Sensitive maternal behavior is a key factor driving the intervention's positive effects on infant physiology.
- Attachment-based interventions hold preventative value by improving parenting and infant physiological regulation.