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Efficacy of Group Attachment Based Intervention for Vulnerable Families

Albert Einstein College of Medicine logo

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Status

Completed

Conditions

Domestic Violence
Child Maltreatment

Treatments

Behavioral: Group Attachment Based Intervention (GABI)
Behavioral: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other
Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01641744
2005-703

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study examines the effectiveness of parent-child Group Attachment Based Intervention (GABI) in reducing risk of maltreatment in infants and toddlers compared with parenting skills classes. GABI directly addresses the needs of isolated, marginalized families, with the goals of of enhancing parent coping and resilience, and improving parent-child attachment relationships.

We hypothesize that compared to usual care, GABI will be associated with improved child, parent and parent-child outcomes.

Full description

Child abuse and neglect ("maltreatment") pose enormous short- and long-term risks to children. Yet despite the critical importance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau's goal "to reduce fatal and non-fatal child maltreatment," non-empirically supported parenting skills classes remain child welfare agencies' standard approach to meeting this goal.

The study examines the effectiveness of parent-child Group Attachment Based Intervention (GABI) in reducing risk of maltreatment in infants and toddlers compared with parenting skills classes. GABI directly addresses the needs of isolated, marginalized families, with the goals of of enhancing parent coping and resilience, and improving parent-child attachment relationships.

Seventy families with children aged 2-36 months who are referred for parenting help will be randomly assigned to either GABI or "treatment as usual" that consists of parents-only parenting skills classes. Treatment will be offered for up to 6 months. Both groups will be assessed at baseline, end of treatment and at 6 months follow up.

Enrollment

146 patients

Sex

All

Ages

Under 36 months old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • Parents with children age 0-36 months
  • Parent(s) is/are biological parent of child (mother or father)
  • Parent(s) has/have custody of their child even if he/she/they have lost custody of previous children
  • Risk of maltreatment from referral source or intake interview, including parent's own childhood adversity, parent's current exposure to relationship violence, history of parental substance abuse or history of parental incarceration
  • If history of substance abuse, enrolled in treatment program
  • Willing to sign informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Parent is unable to provide informed consent due to cognitive impairment
  • Parent not fluent in English
  • Child has diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder or severe cognitive delay

Trial design

Primary purpose

Treatment

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

146 participants in 2 patient groups

Group Attachment Based Intervention (GABI)
Experimental group
Treatment:
Behavioral: Group Attachment Based Intervention (GABI)
Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)
Active Comparator group
Treatment:
Behavioral: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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