Can infant carrying prevent disorganized attachment? An intervention trial of adolescent mothers

Infant carrying (carrying a baby in a cloth carrier that is worn on the body) enhances close physical proximity, increases mothers' awareness of her infants' needs, and promotes positive maternal behavior. This study assessed whether an infant carrying intervention for adolescent mothers can reduce risk for attachment disorganization in early childhood through attuned and responsive caregiving. Sixty-seven mothers ( M = 19.3 years, SD = 2.3), randomly assigned to an intervention (infant carrying, n = 34) or control (reading, n = 33) condition, completed four in-home assessments: Wave 1 (3.2 weeks), Wave 2 (3.6 months), Wave 3 (6.7 months), Wave 4 (3.6 years). Maternal caregiving behaviors, including positive engagement, hostility, and withdrawal were measured using the Still Face Paradigm in infancy, and children's attachment disorganization was measured using Story Stems in early childhood. Infant carrying predicted lower attachment disorganization, which was fully mediated through greater maternal positive engagement and lower maternal hostility and withdrawal. Infant carrying is a culturally attuned parenting tool that can be integrated into existing parenting programs to mitigate the risk of infant attachment disorganization. • Increased body-to-body contact, through infant carrying, is feasible. • Infant carrying may strengthen caregiving behaviors of adolescent mothers. • Caregiving behaviors during a stress-recovery interaction impacts attachment. • Infant carrying interventions may mitigate risk for attachment disorganization.