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Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems

Award Number: R01HD105676
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems - A growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that secure attachment and sensitive caregiving are important sources of resilience for children living in stressful environments (e.g., Graham & Easterbrooks, 2000), contributing to children’s mental and physical health (Shonkoff, 2016). Conversely, research indicates that insecure attachment is an important risk factor for the development of both childhood behavior problems and physiological dysregulation (e.g., Luijk et al., 2010; see Fearon et al., 2010, and Groh et al., 2012, for meta- analytic findings). Thus, efforts to prevent insecure attachment are crucial for children’s healthy development. Although a few promising approaches to preventing insecure attachment, physiological dysregulation, and childhood behavior problems have emerged (see Berlin et al., 2016), none has achieved widespread implementation. What is urgently needed is evaluation of a comprehensive theory- and research-based intervention protocol that can be widely implemented among families whose children are at elevated risk for developing or maintaining insecure attachments, physiological dysregulation, and behavior problems. The goal of the proposed study is to conduct an RCT of the Circle of Security – Parenting (COS-P) intervention within Early Head Start (EHS) programs, in light of evidence that EHS children and families are characterized by factors (e.g., low income, parental depression, exposure to violence/trauma; USDHHS, 2006a) that leave them at increased risk for insecure attachment and behavior problems. The project addresses the NICHD CDBB priority of promoting psychosocial adjustment for at-risk children and of understanding contributors to positive outcomes that can occur despite high-risk environments. Moreover, the project addresses a critical barrier to progress in the attempt to reduce the risk of negative outcomes among at-risk children by testing the efficacy of an intervention that was designed in collaboration with families and staff from the real-world contexts in which it will be implemented. Principal aims are to examine whether the addition of this brief attachment-based intervention to regular EHS services will (1) reduce child insecure attachment, physiological dysregulation, and behavior problems; and (2) promote sensitive parental responses to child distress. Additional aims are (3) to examine potential moderators of intervention effectiveness and (4) to test whether changes in parental response to child distress act as a mechanism of positive change. We have chosen HS/EHS as a strong service delivery mechanism because it is a widely available resource in many communities, with an infrastructure and a commitment to the mental health of children. The HS/EHS program has shown positive outcomes in some areas, yet evidence of reducing the risk of insecure attachment is lacking (Spieker et al., 2005). The approach we take is noteworthy in that we consider the broader public health context in which our attachment-oriented prevention protocol can be widely implemented. The RCT includes 249 parent-child dyads from the Harrisburg, PA and Lehigh Valley, PA EHS programs.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $653,206 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	7/10/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$653,206
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	5	7/22/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $653,206

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $713,866 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	003	4	7/18/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$636,037
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	004	4	9/10/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$77,829
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	005	4	9/12/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	3	5/1/2025	TERMINATION	$0
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	2/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	002	3	7/4/2025	OTHER REVISION	$0
														Subtotal = $713,866

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $707,423 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	7/11/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$634,498
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BUILDING	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	3	8/23/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$72,925
														Subtotal = $707,423

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $644,712 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BLDG 7809 REGENTS DR	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	6/5/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$644,712
														Subtotal = $644,712

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $666,462 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK	3112 LEE BLDG 7809 REGENTS DR	COLLEGE PARK	MD	20742	PRINCE GEORGES	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	5/23/2022	NEW	$666,462
														Subtotal = $666,462

Grand Total All Awards = $3,385,669

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Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems

Award Number: R01HD105676

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

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