Minding the Baby versus usual care: effects on parental sensitivity and parent-child interaction in a cluster quasi-randomized trial

Infants depend on sensitive caregivers to develop secure attachments, and attachment-based interventions like Minding the Baby® (MTB), aim to support sensitive parenting in families at risk. MTB is an interdisciplinary home visiting intervention starting in the third trimester and continuing until age two. This cluster quasi-randomized trial examined the effects of MTB among 256 pregnant women at risk of adversity. No significant differences were found between MTB and care-as-usual groups on the primary outcome parental sensitivity at 12 or 24 months postpartum. Children in the MTB group exhibited significantly less withdrawal at 12 months (b = -0.17, CI: [-0.33, -0.02], d = -0.43), an effect not sustained at 24 months. For the remaining subscales intrusiveness, limit setting, involvement, compliance, dyadic reciprocity, and dyadic negative states, no significant differences were found between the groups at either time point. However, we observed significant within-group improvements in parental sensitivity and dyadic reciprocity in the MTB group from 12 to 24 months.Trial registration: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03495895) on April 12th, 2018.