Attachment and biobehavioral catch-up protects telomere length in children adopted internationally: results of a randomized clinical trial
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
In a randomized clinical trial, we assessed whether a brief parenting intervention reduced telomere loss among children adopted internationally. Children (around 2 years old) adopted into families in the United States were randomly assigned to one of two intervention conditions. The parents of children assigned to the experimental intervention received Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up, a 10-session intervention targeting parental nurturance and sensitivity; parents of children in the control intervention condition received an intervention of the same duration, length, and frequency that targeted cognitive and physical development. A third non-randomized group was included with no intervention component. When assessed at about 5 years of age, children whose parents received the experimental intervention had longer telomeres (T/S ratio) than children in the other two groups. These results highlight the power of a brief intervention in remediating biological effects of early deprivation and indicate that experimental manipulation of telomere length is possible.