Scaling up Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up with Latine families: Implementation processes and effectiveness

Abstract

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) is an evidence-based early intervention promoting attachment security and self-regulation by enhancing parental sensitivity. When scaling up an evidence-based intervention to the community, it is essential to consider families’ preferences and cultural values to ensure cultural appropriateness, while maintaining fidelity to the intervention's core components. In this article, we aimed to test the effectiveness of ABC in improving parental sensitivity when implemented in Spanish at a community level in the USA. The effectiveness of ABC when implemented in Spanish in the community was assessed through pre-post changes in observed parental sensitivity in 79 Latine families with children ages 6 months to 4 years. Parental sensitivity increased from pre- to post-test, with a similar effect size to previous studies (d = .67). Results and practice implications are discussed, highlighting the importance of the support to providers reaching families of diverse origins.