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Interventions to Improve Parent-Child Attachment

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Children's Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 7712

Special Issue Editors


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Leading Guest Editor
School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, QLD 4556, Australia
Interests: childhood developmental disorders; child and adolescent health behaviours

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Guest Editor
Human Development and Learning, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD 4556, Australia
Interests: neurological development in children; early and adolescent development; cognition and learning; educational psychology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parenting is vitally important for individual and societal health and wellbeing, in which the development of a warm and responsive relationship and a secure attachment are known to build resilience in children

The bond that develops between an infant and their caregiver, often their mother, shapes their developing brains and provides the internal working models through which they understand themselves, others, and the world. Attachment theory provides a structure in which to understand this unique and important relationship.

 A growing body of research evidence shows that attachment-based interventions that aim to increase attachment and caregiver sensitivity lead to lasting and diverse positive effects for children. However, the interventions available involve a large commitment of time for both the families and providers of these interventions. As attachment interventions have demonstrated positive effects, there is a need to ensure they are also accessible for parents. 

This Special Issue seeks research papers that have investigated attachment-based interventions for families and their outcomes. We welcome original research papers using different study designs, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Dr. Rachael Sharman
Dr. Michael Nagel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • attachment
  • intervention
  • child
  • mother
  • family
  • internal working models
  • caregiver sensitivity

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1022 KiB  
Article
Development of a Mobile Application of Internet-Based Support Program on Parenting Outcomes for Primiparous Women
by Xilin Li, Yao Zhang, Ziwen Ye, Lingling Huang and Xujuan Zheng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(14), 7354; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147354 - 09 Jul 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2549
Abstract
Primiparous women usually experience various parenting problems after childbirth that have negative effects on the well-being of mothers and infants. Although e-Support technology could provide an innovative and easily accessible intervention approach, mobile-phone interventions remain limited for Chinese primiparous women. Therefore, a new [...] Read more.
Primiparous women usually experience various parenting problems after childbirth that have negative effects on the well-being of mothers and infants. Although e-Support technology could provide an innovative and easily accessible intervention approach, mobile-phone interventions remain limited for Chinese primiparous women. Therefore, a new mobile application (APP) called the “Internet-based Support Program” (“ISP”) was designed, incorporating the self-efficacy theory and the social-exchange theory for Chinese first-time mothers to improve their levels of maternal self-efficacy (MSE), social support, and satisfaction, as well as to reduce their postpartum depression symptoms. The research was conducted to develop and optimize the “ISP” APP for new mothers via a theory-, evidence-, and person-based approach. Five modules of “learning forum”, “communication forum”, “ask-the-expert forum”, “baby home forum”, and “reminder forum” were included in the APP to meet various parenting needs of first-time mothers; and its contents and functions were validated by the experts and primiparous women. The majority of participants gave positive feedback on the APP’s perceived ease of use and usefulness. The “ISP” APP was the first designed for Chinese primiparous women, and a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to measure its effectiveness on parenting outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interventions to Improve Parent-Child Attachment)
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12 pages, 495 KiB  
Article
An Early Collaborative Intervention Focusing on Parent-Infant Interaction in the Neonatal Period. A Descriptive Study of the Developmental Framework
by Charlotte Sahlén Helmer, Ulrika Birberg Thornberg and Evalotte Mörelius
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6656; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126656 - 21 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4300
Abstract
Moderate to late preterm infants are at risk of developing problems later in life. To support attachment and infants’ development, high quality parent-infant interaction is important. Parent-infant interaction is known to improve through intervention programs but since no such intervention program is addressed [...] Read more.
Moderate to late preterm infants are at risk of developing problems later in life. To support attachment and infants’ development, high quality parent-infant interaction is important. Parent-infant interaction is known to improve through intervention programs but since no such intervention program is addressed directly to moderate to late preterm infants, a tailor-made intervention was developed. The aim was to describe the rationale, development, framework and practical provision of a new early collaborative intervention program. This study has a descriptive design and the intervention is described using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication. During an intervention-session, the preterm infant’s cues are made visible to the parents as they perform an everyday care-taking procedure. Instant feedback is delivered to give the parents the opportunity to notice, interpret and respond to cues immediately. The infant’s response to the parent’s action is discussed in a dialogue to instantly guide parents´ awareness of the preterm infant’s subtle cues. This study describes a new early collaborative intervention, developed to support interaction between parents and their moderate to late preterm infants starting in the neonatal intensive care unit. Clinical studies evaluating parental experiences as well as the effects of the early intervention are ongoing, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02034617. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interventions to Improve Parent-Child Attachment)
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