Shifting Internal Parent-Child Representations among Caregivers of Teens with Serious Behavior Problems: An Attachment-Based Approach

Attachment theory provides a rich framework for the development of interventions for trauma. This study examined processes underlying treatment outcomes of an attachment-based program (Connect; Moretti, Braber, & Obsuth, 2009) for parents of teens with severe behavior problems. Caregivers completed the Parenting Representations Interview and the Child Behavior Checklist prior to and following treatment. Results confirmed significant reductions in teens' problem behavior and changes in parental representations of the parent, teen, and parent-teen relationship. Shifts in parenting representation were significantly related to reductions in teen problem behavior, consistent with the view that changing attachment representations underlies therapeutic effects.