eCONNECT Parent Group: An Online Attachment-Based Intervention to Reduce Attachment Insecurity, Behavioral Problems, and Emotional Dysregulation in Adolescence

Ilaria Maria Antonietta Benzi; Nicola Carone; Marlene Moretti; Laura Ruglioni; Jacopo Tracchegiani; Lavinia Barone

doi:10.3390/ijerph20043532

eCONNECT Parent Group: An Online Attachment-Based Intervention to Reduce Attachment Insecurity, Behavioral Problems, and Emotional Dysregulation in Adolescence

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 17;20(4):3532. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043532.

Authors

Ilaria Maria Antonietta Benzi¹, Nicola Carone¹, Marlene Moretti², Laura Ruglioni³, Jacopo Tracchegiani¹, Lavinia Barone¹

Affiliations

¹ Lab on Attachment and Parenting-LAG, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
² Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada.
³ I.R.C.C.S. Stella Maris Foundation, 56128 Pisa, Italy.

Abstract

During adolescence, a secure parent-adolescent relationship promotes youths' adjustment and psychological well-being. In this scenario, several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the CONNECT program, a 10-session, attachment-based parenting intervention that helps parents understand and reframe their parent-adolescent interactions, reducing adolescents' insecure attachment and behavioral problems. Furthermore, recent years have witnessed a significant increase in the implementation of effective online versions of psychological interventions, emphasizing the opportunity for more agile and easier dissemination of evidence-based protocols. Therefore, this study aims to identify changes in adolescents' attachment insecurity, behavioral problems, and parent-child affect regulation strategies, providing preliminary findings on an online, 10-session, attachment-based parenting intervention (eCONNECT). A total of 24 parents (20 mothers, 4 fathers; M_age = 49.33, SD = 5.32) of adolescents (M_age = 13.83 years, SD = 1.76, 45.8% girls) were assessed on their adolescents' attachment insecurity (avoidance and anxiety) and behavioral problems (externalizing and internalizing), and on their affect regulation strategies in the parent-child interaction (adaptive reflection, suppression, and affect dysregulation) at three time points: before intervention (t0), after intervention (t1), and at a 2-month follow-up (t2). Mixed-effects regression models highlighted a reduction in adolescents' internalizing problems (d = 0.11), externalizing problems (d = 0.29), and attachment avoidance (d = 0.26) after the intervention. Moreover, the reduction in externalizing problems and attachment avoidance remained stable at follow-up. Additionally, our findings highlighted a reduction in parent-child affect dysregulation. Results add preliminary evidence on the implementation suitability of an online attachment-based parenting intervention to change at-risk adolescents' developmental trajectories by reducing attachment insecurity, behavioral problems, and parent-child affect regulation.

Keywords: CONNECT Parent Group; adolescence; attachment; attachment-based intervention; behavioral problems; online psychological intervention.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior* / psychology
Adolescent Development
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mothers / psychology
Parent-Child Relations
Parenting / psychology
Problem Behavior*

Grants and funding

448851/CIHR/Canada