Improving social-emotional competence in internationally adopted children with the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up intervention

Abstract

Children adopted internationally experience adverse conditions prior to adoption, placing them at risk for problematic social-emotional development. The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) intervention was designed to help internationally adoptive parents behave in ways that promote young children's social-emotional competence. Participants included 131 parent-child dyads randomly assigned to receive either ABC (n = 65) or a control intervention (n = 66). In addition, 48 low-risk biologically related parent-child dyads were included as a comparison group. At follow-up assessments conducted when children were 24 to 36 months old, internationally adopted children who received the ABC intervention had higher levels of parent-reported social-emotional competence than children who received a control intervention. In addition, observational assessments conducted when children were 48 and 60 months of age showed that internationally adopted children who received ABC demonstrated higher social-emotional competence than children who received a control intervention. Adopted children who received the control intervention, but not the ABC intervention, displayed more difficulties with social-emotional competence than low-risk children. Finally, postintervention parent sensitivity mediated the effect of ABC on observed child social-emotional competence in parent interactions, controlling for preintervention parent sensitivity. These results demonstrate the efficacy of a parenting-focused intervention in enhancing social-emotional competence among children adopted internationally.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00816621.

Keywords: adoption; early intervention; parenting; social–emotional competence.

Figures

Figure 1.

Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow diagram. ABC, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up. DEF, Developmental Education for Families. BITSEA, Brief Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. DB-DOS, Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule.

Figure 2.

Pre- and postintervention group differences in parent-reported child social–emotional competence (BITSEA). ABC, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up. DEF, Developmental Education for Families. BITSEA, Brief Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.

Figure 3.

Postintervention group differences in observed child social–emotional competence (DB-DOS). ABC, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up. DEF, Developmental Education for Families. DB-DOS, Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule. *p < .05. **p < .01.