Journal article
Middle childhood attachment-based family therapy: Theory and model description
Family process
18 Apr 2023
PMID: 37070348
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
In middle childhood, the first manifestations of mental health problems can emerge and become a precursor of mental health issues in adolescence. Given that weak parent-child attachment can contribute to this distress, it is possible that strengthening the attachment bond could reduce risk trajectory. Unfortunately, evidence-based attachment-focused interventions are lacking at this age. Attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) is a well-studied intervention for troubled adolescents and has the potential to be extended downward to children. However, ABFT for adolescents focuses on mentalization and trauma conversation strategies that may be developmentally advanced for children's capacities. Therefore, we modified the intervention strategies to be more developmentally sensitive to childhood. Middle childhood ABFT (MCABFT) builds on the theory that insecure attachment develops through a learning process that can be interrupted and reorganized to promote secure attachment development. MCABFT uses less conversation and more play and puts parents more at the center of the therapy compared with ABFT for adolescents. In this article, we describe MCABFT's theoretical and clinical model.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Middle childhood attachment-based family therapy: Theory and model description
- Creators
- Leen Van Vlierberghe - KU LeuvenGuy Diamond - Drexel UniversityGuy Bosmans - KU Leuven
- Publication Details
- Family process
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Grant note
- G049419 / Research Foundation Flanders G0B6721 / Research Foundation Flanders
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Center for Family Intervention Science
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000973685700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85153196207
- Other Identifier
- 991020423697104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Family Studies
- Psychology, Clinical