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Bernard, K., Dozier, M., Bick, J., Lewis-Morrarty, E., Lindhiem, O., & & Carlson, E. (2012). Enhancing attachment organization among maltreated children: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Child Development, 83(2), 623–636.

Manuscript screening details
Screening decision Screening conclusion HomVEE procedures and standards version
Passes screens Eligible for review Version 1
Study design details
Rating Design Attrition Baseline equivalence Compromised randomization Confounding factors Valid, reliable measure(s)
Moderate Randomized controlled trial High Established on race/ethnicity and SES; outcome(s) not feasible to assess at baseline None None Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed before 2021
Notes:

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Information on baseline equivalence for race/ethnicity and SES, attrition, and effect size and significance was based on correspondence with the author.

Study characteristics
Study participants Parents/caregivers of children younger than 2 with protective services involvement were randomly assigned to the treatment and comparison groups. If the parent or caregiver had two children, both were placed in the parent/caregiver's assigned group. Most of the parents belonged to a minority racial/ethnic group (80 percent), were living in poverty (80 percent), and had less than a high school education (88 percent). 58 percent of the children were male, and 93 percent belonged to minority racial/ethnic groups.
Setting The study was conducted in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic.
Intervention services The intervention, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC), consisted of 10 hour-long sessions conducted weekly in participants' homes with parents and their children.
Comparison conditions Comparison families received Developmental Education for Families (DEF) in home visits that were the same duration (10 hour-long sessions) and frequency (weekly) as ABC. DEF was designed to enhance cognitive and linguistic development.
Subgroups examined This field lists subgroups examined in the manuscript (even if they were not replicated in other samples and not reported on the summary page for this model’s report).

• Child age (less than 24 months old)

Funding sources NIMH grants R01 MH052135, R01 MH074374, and R01 MH084135
Author affiliation When the research was conducted, the authors were affiliated with the University of Delaware and the University of Minnesota.
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed status is not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021.
Study Registration:

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02093052. Study registration was assessed by HomVEE beginning with the 2014 review.

Findings that rate moderate or high

Child development and school readiness
Rating Outcome measure Effect Sample Timing of follow-up Sample size Intervention group Comparison group Group difference Effect size Statistical significance Notes
Moderate Strange Situation Procedure - Disorganized Attachment
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Full analytic sample Approximately 1 month after program end, or longer if child not yet old enough to measure outcome. 120 children Unadjusted proportion = 0.32 Unadjusted proportion = 0.57 Mean difference = -0.25 HomVEE calculated = 0.67 Statistically significant, p = 0.012

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Negative value is favorable to the intervention.

Moderate Strange Situation Procedure - Secure Attachment
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Full analytic sample Approximately 1 month after program end, or longer if child not yet old enough to measure outcome. 120 children Unadjusted proportion = 0.52 Unadjusted proportion = 0.33 Mean difference = 0.19 HomVEE calculated = 0.46 Not statistically significant, p = 0.082

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Effect size and significance based on adjusted odds ratio provided to <abbr title="Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness">HomVEE</abbr> by the authors.