Effects of an early parenting intervention on white matter connectivity: a randomized controlled trial
Date
2024
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Early caregiving experiences can shape a child’s life. Adverse caregiving experiences lead to suboptimal neurobiology. Early intervention focusing on improving caregiving quality can help to mitigate the effects of early caregiving adversity. The current study is a follow-up study of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), an early parenting intervention randomized controlled trial to investigate whether participation in the intervention in infancy continues to alter white matter connectivity at age 13. There were 90 participants (Mage = 13.35, SDage = 0.37) in the study. A total of 28 adolescents were in the ABC intervention group. Thirty-two adolescents were in the active control group. A total of 30 adolescents were in the low-risk group. Using a whole brain connectometry analysis, the current study found that the ABC group had greater white matter connectivity than the active control group at age 13. These results show the effects of ABC intervention in infancy on adolescent white matter connectivity. The present study highlighted the positive downstream effects of the ABC intervention on adolescent brain development.
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Keywords
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up, Adolescence, Early parenting intervention, White matter connectivity, ABC intervention group