Prevention of Attachment Insecurity and Related Child Problems in Early Head Start
Official title: Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems
Funded at Univ of Maryland, College Park · NIH-11377105 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A structured program tests whether teaching caregivers in high-risk families to respond sensitively can improve attachment, regulate physiology, and reduce behavior problems in young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Maryland, College Park NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Park, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $653,206 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD105676-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11377105 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children (0–11 years, focus on early years) and their caregivers enrolled in Early Head Start who face stressors such as low income, parental depression, or exposure to violence.
✕Less likely to help
Families not experiencing relationship-related stressors or those not engaged with Early Head Start may derive less direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a parenting intervention called Circle of Security – Parenting (COS-P) within Early Head Start programs to help families with low income and high stress. It aims to see if teaching responsive caregiving leads to more secure attachments and better emotional and physical regulation in children aged 0–5. Researchers will run an randomized controlled trial in real-world early education settings to measure child behavior, physiology, and family dynamics over time. The study will involve families participating in EHS and will use standardized assessments and observational data to track progress.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could provide scalable strategies for families to support healthy child development and reduce behavior problems.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest COS-P can improve parent-child interactions, but wide-scale implementation in high-risk settings remains to be proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Maryland, College Park
College Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cassidy, Jude a — Univ of Maryland, College Park
- Study coordinator: Cassidy, Jude a
Related research
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Supporting secure attachment and healthy stress responses in young children
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.