Relationship-based intervention with at-risk mothers: Factors affecting variations in outcome

A previous group comparison had shown that in families experiencing the UCL A Family Development Project intervention as opposed to a group that did no t, mothers became more responsive to the needs of their infants, and the in fants were more secure in their attachment to their mothers. The present st udy asks whether variations in these outcomes following participation in a relationally based intervention are anticipated by maternal involvement in the intervention, partner support, personality dimensions, and mother-infan t interactions that were assessed early in the intervention process. The sa mple consists of 46 mothers at risk for inadequate parenting who also were poor and generally lacked support. Tt was found that variations at 12 month s of age in the child's secure response to separation, his or her expectati on of being cared for (felt security), and the mother's responsiveness to n eed are anticipated by variations in the mother's 6- to 12-month involvemen t in the home-visiting intervention, the quality of her partner's support a s measured at six months, and her own trust, ability to form stable relatio nships, and lack of self doubt. Parents who, at one month, were responsive to the needs of their more soothable babies were more likely to have secure children at 12 months, but these associations were not as robust as those summarized above.