The efficacy of toddler-parent psychotherapy to reorganize attachment in the young offspring of mothers with major depressive disorder: a randomized preventive trial.

TitleThe efficacy of toddler-parent psychotherapy to reorganize attachment in the young offspring of mothers with major depressive disorder: a randomized preventive trial.
Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsToth, Sheree L., Fred A. Rogosch, Jody Todd Manly, and Dante Cicchetti
PubMed ID17154731
Grant ListR01 MH45027 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States

The development of insecure attachment relationships in the offspring of mothers with major depressive disorder (MDD) may initiate a negative trajectory leading to future psychopathology. Therefore, the provision of theoretically guided interventions designed to promote secure attachment is of paramount importance. Mothers who had experienced MDD since their child’s birth were recruited (n = 130) and randomized to toddler-parent psychotherapy (DI) or to a control group (DC). Nondepressed mothers with no current or history of major mental disorder and their toddlers also were recruited for a nondepressed comparison group (NC; n = 68). Children averaged 20.34 months of age at the initial assessment. Higher rates of insecure attachment were present in both the DI and the DC groups at baseline, relative to the NC group. At postintervention, at age 36 months, insecure attachment continued to predominate in the DC group. In contrast, the rate of secure attachment had increased substantially in the DI group and was higher than that for the DC and the NC groups. These results demonstrate the efficacy of toddler-parent psychotherapy in fostering secure attachment relationships in young children of depressed mothers.

Title The efficacy of toddler-parent psychotherapy to reorganize attachment in the young offspring of mothers with major depressive disorder: a randomized preventive trial.
Publication Title J Consult Clin Psychol
Publication Type Journal Article
Published Year 2006
Authors S.L. Toth; F.A. Rogosch; J.Todd Manly; D. Cicchetti
ISSN Number 0022-006X
PubMed ID 17154731
Grant List
R01 MH45027 MH NIMH NIH HHS United States

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