Dozier, MaryThe current study investigated longitudinal associations between unresolved parental attachment status, anomalous parenting behavior, parent-child attachment quality, and child dysregulation as part of an ongoing randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC; Dozier, Bick, & Bernard, 2011). Specifically, the current study examined whether parental attachment status assessed pre-intervention and anomalous parenting behavior and parent-child attachment quality measured post-intervention predicted dysregulation when children were 3- and 4-years-old. A total of 109 parent-child dyads were included in the current study. Parents randomized to receive ABC demonstrated lower levels of parental withdrawal after completion of the intervention than parents randomized to receive the control condition. Changes in parental withdrawal mediated the association between intervention group and child disorganized attachment. Affective communication errors and disorientation predicted child dysregulation when children were 4 years old. Findings point to the continued efficacy of ABC in improving parenting quality, as well as to the dysregulating role affective communication errors have on children’s development.University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain SciencesPh.D
