Examining The Effects Of An Attachment-Based Intervention On Diurnal Cortisol Production Among Toddlers In Foster Care
| Author(s) | Szenczy, Aline | |
| Date Accessioned | 2016-09-19T17:40:09Z | |
| Date Available | 2016-09-19T17:40:09Z | |
| Publication Date | 2016-05 | |
| Abstract | Children in the foster care system are at risk for biological dysregulation due to their various experiences of early adversity, such as the separation from their biological parents and unstable placements. These experiences may lead to disruptions in functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, including the diurnal production of cortisol. This study presents findings from a randomized clinical trial that assessed the effectiveness of an attachment-based intervention (Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up for Toddlers; ABC-T) with regard to HPA functioning. Contrary to expectations, children in the ABC-T intervention and the control group did not significantly differ in their cortisol production across the day. Instead, both groups of children showed the expected decline in cortisol levels across the day. Possible explanations for the differences between these findings and the results of previous studies may be due to the population of toddlers in the foster care utilized in this study. Previous studies examining the regulatory effects of an attachment-based intervention used populations of Child Protected Services (CPS) referred children and implemented the intervention at infancy rather than toddlerhood. Future research will lead to greater insight on how to most effectively intervene in order to enhance self-regulatory capabilities among children in foster care. | en_US |
| Advisor | Mary Dozier | |
| Program | Neuroscience | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/19623 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| Keywords | neuroscience | en_US |
| Keywords | foster care | en_US |
| Keywords | toddlers | en_US |
| Keywords | young children | en_US |
| Title | Examining The Effects Of An Attachment-Based Intervention On Diurnal Cortisol Production Among Toddlers In Foster Care | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |