scholarly journals Effects of an attachment-based intervention on the cortisol production of infants and toddlers in foster care

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 845-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Dozier ◽  
Elizabeth Peloso ◽  
Erin Lewis ◽  
Jean-Philippe Laurenceau ◽  
Seymour Levine
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Developmental Education ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Initial Values ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractStudies with nonhuman primates and rodents, as well as with human children, have suggested that early separations from caregivers are often associated with changes in the functioning of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. On the basis of these findings, we designed a relational intervention that was intended to normalize HPA functioning among children in foster care. This paper presents findings from a randomized clinical trial that assessed the effectiveness of a relational intervention (Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up [ABC]) with regard to HPA functioning. The ABC intervention was intended to enhance children's ability to regulate physiology and behavior. The control intervention (Developmental Education for Families) was intended to enhance children's cognitive skills. A comparison group of children who had never been in foster care was also included. Children's cortisol production was assessed upon arrival at the lab, and 15 and 30 min following the Strange Situation. Random effects analyses of variance were performed to assess differences in initial values and change between children in the two intervention groups. Children in the ABC intervention and comparison group children showed lower initial values of cortisol than children in the treatment control group, considering arrival at lab as initial values (p < .05). Groups did not differ significantly in change over time. These results suggest that the ABC intervention is effective in helping children regulate biology in ways more characteristic of children who have not experienced early adversity.

Taking Care Triple P for Foster Parents With Young Children in Foster Care: Results of a 1-Year Randomized Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090919
Author(s):  
Ann-Katrin Job ◽  
Daniela Ehrenberg ◽  
Peter Hilpert ◽  
Vanessa Reindl ◽  
Arnold Lohaus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Challenging Behaviors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Triple P ◽  
Group Training ◽  
Foster Families ◽  
Parent Group ◽  
Children In Foster Care

Young children with a history of maltreatment or neglect in foster families often confront their caregivers with particularly challenging behaviors. This may lead to more parenting stress, an increased risk for the child in foster care to experience further maltreatment, and placement disruptions. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a parent group training tailored to the special needs of foster families. We hypothesized significant short- and long-term improvements regarding foster parents’ parenting competencies, child mental health problems, and related outcomes. Eighty-one families with 87 children in foster care aged 2 to 7 years participated in the trial. For the intervention study, 44 randomly selected families (54%) were offered to participate in the parent group training. Intervention and control group families were reassessed three times over a period of 1 year. Contrary to our expectations, we found no advantages of the intervention group compared with the usual care control group on any outcome measure. Instead, we found some significant changes in both groups across time. Placement into foster care is associated with some favorable outcomes for children in foster care. Additional support for foster families beyond the services delivered in the youth welfare system to foster parents was not associated with more favorable outcomes. The present intervention is likely associated with a low risk of harm but also with a high likelihood of a lack of significant benefits for foster parents and their young children going beyond feeling satisfied about the delivered services. Participating foster families showed favorable baseline results on parenting measures which may have impeded intervention effects to unfold on these proximal variables.

scholarly journals ADHD Symptomatology, Executive Function and Cognitive Performance Differences between Family Foster Care and Control Group in ADHD-Diagnosed Children

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
María Peñarrubia ◽  
Ignasi Navarro-Soria ◽  
Jesús Palacios ◽  
Javier Fenollar-Cortés
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Foster Families ◽  
Executive Performance ◽  
General Ability ◽  
Hyperactive Behavior ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Intellectual Capacity

Children in foster care have a high prevalence of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, together with other difficulties in inattentive/hyperactive behaviors, executive and cognitive processes. Early exposure to adversity is a risk factor for developing ADHD via neurodevelopmental pathways. The goal of this research is (a) to study the cognitive and executive performance and inattentive/hyperactive behavior of ADHD-diagnosed children living in foster families in Spain, and (b) to analyze the role of placement variables in their performance. The sample was composed of 102 ADHD-diagnosed children aged 6- to 12-years-old, divided into two groups: 59 children living with non-relative foster families and 43 children not involved with protection services. Children’s executive function–inhibition, working memory, flexibility, attention, intellectual capacity, verbal comprehension, perceptive reasoning, working memory and processing speed were assessed using objective testing measures. At the same time, parents and teachers reported on children’s inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. Children in foster care obtained lower scores in the general ability index than the control group after controlling the age at assessment. However, no differences were found in executive processes. Regarding placement factors, children with shorter exposure to adversities in their birth families and more time in foster care showed better executive performance. Professionals should consider the placement history of children in foster care and its influence on their symptomatology and cognitive capacities.

scholarly journals Enhancing executive functioning among toddlers in foster care with an attachment-based intervention

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Lind ◽  
K. Lee Raby ◽  
E. B. Caron ◽  
Caroline K. P. Roben ◽  
Mary Dozier
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Dimensional Change ◽  
Attention Problems ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Card Sort ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
Dimensional Change Card Sort

AbstractYoung children in foster care often experience adversity, such as maltreatment and lack of stability in early caregiving relationships. As a result, these children are at risk for a range of problems, including deficits in executive functioning. The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up for Toddlers (ABC-T) intervention was designed to help foster parents behave in ways that promote the development of young children's emerging self-regulatory capabilities. Participants included 173 parent–toddler dyads in three groups: foster families that were randomly assigned to receive either the ABC-T intervention (n= 63) or a control intervention (n= 58), as well as low-risk parent–toddler dyads from intact families (n= 52). At a follow-up conducted when children were approximately 48 months old, children's executive functioning abilities were assessed with the attention problems scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000) and a graded version of the Dimensional Change Card Sort developed for preschoolers (Beck, Schaefer, Pang, & Carlson, 2011). Results showed that foster children whose parents received the ABC-T intervention and low-risk children never placed in foster care had fewer parent-reported attention problems and demonstrated greater cognitive flexibility during the Dimensional Change Card Sort than foster children whose parents received the control intervention. These results indicate that an attachment-based intervention implemented among toddlers in foster care is effective in enhancing children's executive functioning capabilities.

Children in Foster Care in California: An Examination of Medicaid Reimbursed Health Services Utilization

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 1230-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Halfon ◽  
Gale Berkowitz ◽  
Linnea Klee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Outpatient Service ◽  
Utilization Rate ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Children In Foster Care

The number of children in foster care in California doubled from 27 534 in 1980 to more than 62 419 in 1988, representing approximately 1% of the child population in the state. Past studies have domonstrated that children in foster care have high rates of medical and mental health problems. An examination of all Medi-Cal-paid claims was undertaken to describe the utilization of health services by children in foster care. Although children in foster care represent 4% of Medi-Cal-eligible children younger than 18 years of age, they account for approximately 5% of children using Medi-Cal services and 6.7% of expenditures, representing a 23% greater utilization rate and 41% greater expenditure rate than all children covered by Medi-Cal. Using the entire Medi-Cal population younger than 18 years of age as a comparison group, examination of inpatient and outpatient service utilization for specific condition categories showed few differences between children in foster care and the comparison group except for mental health service utilization, where children in foster care were much higher users of services.

The Effects of Using Imagery to Modify Core Emotional Beliefs in Bulimia Nervosa: An Experimental Pilot Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra J. Cooper ◽  
Gillian Todd ◽  
Hannah Turner
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Belief Change ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Single Session ◽  
Control Intervention ◽  
Early Memory ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Experimental Group

Imagery modification was administered in a pilot study to patients with bulimia nervosa. The aim was to change patients’ emotionally held negative self-beliefs. Negative self-beliefs were identified and belief ratings obtained. A single session imagery intervention, focused on an early memory associated with these beliefs, was then conducted with the experimental group, while a control group received a control intervention. Significant changes were found in the experimental group, compared to the control group, in belief ratings for emotionally held negative self-belief ratings. Emotional (and rational) self-belief change was associated with mood and behavior change, including decreased urge to binge. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

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