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[Promoting Secure Attachment Relationships in Foster Families with the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC)

Janin Zimmermann1, Saskia Németh1, Heinz Kindler1

  • 1Abteilung Familie und Familienpolitik Deutsches Jugendinstitut e. V. Nockherstr. 2 81541 München Deutschland Deutsches Jugendinstitut e. V.

Praxis Der Kinderpsychologie Und Kinderpsychiatrie
|March 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention effectively promotes sensitive caregiving in foster parents. This leads to more secure attachment relationships in foster children, showing promise for supporting vulnerable families.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Foster children often experience early adversity, impacting their ability to form secure attachments.
  • The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention targets sensitive caregiving to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the ABC intervention in a German foster care setting.
  • To assess the impact of ABC on foster parents' sensitivity and foster children's attachment security.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved 34 foster families with children aged 6-24 months.
  • Data collection included parent diaries, observations of parenting quality, and the Strange Situation Procedure for attachment assessment.

Main Results:

  • Foster parents demonstrated significantly increased sensitivity post-intervention (p < .001).
  • Parents reported a significant increase in secure attachment behaviors in their children (p < .05).
  • Attachment classifications (59% secure, 12% disorganized) were comparable to non-foster samples.

Conclusions:

  • The ABC intervention shows potential as an effective tool for fostering secure attachment in German foster families.
  • Further validation through larger controlled studies is recommended.

Keywords:
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-UpBindungElternverhaltenInterventionPflegefamilienattachmentfoster careinterventionparenting

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