Supporting secure attachment and healthy stress responses in young children
Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems
A parenting program called Circle of Security–Parenting will be offered to families with young children in Early Head Start to help prevent insecure attachment, stress-related health problems, and behavior issues.
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 ID | NIH-11363877 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, your family would be invited to participate in the Circle of Security–Parenting program delivered through Early Head Start. The program teaches caregivers how to understand and respond to children’s emotional needs to build secure attachment and reduce stress. Families will be randomly assigned to receive the program or usual services, and children’s behavior, attachment, and physiological stress markers will be followed over time. Participation may include group or individual sessions, parent questionnaires, and brief child observations or noninvasive stress measures.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are parents or primary caregivers of infants and young children enrolled in Early Head Start or similar programs who are concerned about attachment, behavior, or stress-related problems.
Not a fit: Children whose caregivers do not take part, families already receiving intensive similar services, or cases where a child’s problems are primarily medical or genetic may not benefit from this parenting program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help children develop more secure attachments, better regulate stress, and show fewer behavior problems.
How similar studies have performed: Previous attachment-based parenting programs, including trials of Circle of Security approaches, have shown promising improvements in caregiver sensitivity and child attachment but large-scale community implementation remains limited.
Where this research is happening
College Park, United States
- 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
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 below.