Effect of Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH™) Parenting Program on Parent-Infant Attachment, Parental Reflective Function, and Parental Depression

High-risk families exposed to toxic stressors such as family violence, depression, addiction, and poverty, have shown greater difficulty in parenting young children. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of ATTACH (TM), a 10-12 session manualized one-on-one parental Reflective Function (RF)-based parenting program designed for high-risk families. Outcomes of parent-child attachment and parental RF were assessed via the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and Reflective Function Scale (RFS), respectively. The protective role of ATTACH (TM) on parental depression was also assessed. Data were available from caregivers and their children < 6 years of age who participated in five pilot randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies (QES; n = 40). Compared with the control group, caregivers who received the ATTACH (TM)-program demonstrated a greater likelihood of secure attachment with their children (p = 0.004) and higher parental RF [self (p = 0.004), child (p = 0.001), overall (p = 0.002)] in RCTs. A significant improvement in parental RF (p = 0.000) was also observed in the QES within ATTACH (TM) group analysis. As attachment security increased, receiving the ATTACH (TM) program may be protective for depressed caregivers. Results demonstrated the promise of ATTACH (TM) for high-risk parents and their young children.