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Effectiveness of interventions in preventing disorganized attachment: A meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2017

Christopher R. Facompré ,
Kristin Bernard  and
Theodore E. A. Waters
Christopher R. Facompré*
Affiliation:
New York University–Abu Dhabi
Kristin Bernard
Affiliation:
Stony Brook University
Theodore E. A. Waters
Affiliation:
New York University–Abu Dhabi
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Christopher R. Facompré, Department of Psychology, New York University–Abu Dhabi, P. O. Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Disorganized attachment is associated with a host of negative developmental outcomes, leading to a growing interest in preventative interventions targeting the attachment relationship in infancy. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that aimed to prevent or reduce rates of disorganization among children at risk. We performed a literature search using PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and ProQuest databases for studies published between January 1989 and August 2016. All 16 studies (N = 1,360) included a control condition and reported postintervention rates of organized and disorganized attachments assessed by the Strange Situation Procedure. Results showed that, overall, interventions were effective in increasing rates of organized attachment compared to control conditions (d = 0.35, 95% CI [0.10–0.61]). Moderator analyses demonstrated that interventions were more effective (a) in more recently published studies than in older studies, (b) for maltreated samples than nonmaltreated samples, and (c) as children increased in age. These results have important implications for future development, tailoring, and implementation of attachment-based intervention programs.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , February 2018 , pp. 1 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

The authors thank Anne Moyer and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn for their thoughtful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We also acknowledge Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, and Femmie Juffer for their meta-analytic review in 2005, which inspired this project.

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