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Attachment- and Emotion-Focused Parenting Interventions for Child and Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing
Samantha Jugovac1, Richard O'Kearney2, David J Hawes3
1Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. samantha.jugovac@anu.edu.au.
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
|June 10, 2022
Summary
Attachment- and emotion-focused parenting interventions (AE) effectively reduce child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. These benefits are sustained long-term, offering a valuable approach for child mental health.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Attachment- and emotion-focused parenting interventions (AE) are gaining traction as alternatives to traditional behavioral parent training (BPT).
- AE focus on parental understanding and responsiveness to a child's attachment and emotional needs, addressing underlying issues rather than just behavior.
- While previous reviews focused on attachment security and caregiver sensitivity, the impact of AE on child mental health symptoms requires further investigation.
Approach:
- This study presents the first systematic review and meta-analysis of individual and group AE for children aged 0-18 years.
- A comprehensive search of four databases identified 43 eligible studies meeting inclusion criteria.
- Meta-analysis was employed to assess the effects of AE on externalizing behavior (EXT) and internalizing behavior (INT) compared to control groups.
Key Points:
- AE significantly outperformed waitlist controls in reducing both externalizing behavior (SMD = -0.17) and internalizing behavior (SMD = -0.34).
- The positive effects of AE on child behavior were sustained at follow-up periods of 6 months and longer.
- AE specifically targeting child mental health demonstrated greater efficacy in reducing EXT and INT compared to those with broader aims.
Conclusions:
- AE show significant potential in reducing externalizing and internalizing behaviors in children and adolescents.
- The findings support AE as an effective intervention for improving child mental health outcomes.
- Further research is recommended to explore the comparative effectiveness of AE, particularly in relation to BPT for internalizing behaviors.
Keywords:
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