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Hands and Hearts Together

Prevention of Attachment Insecurity, Physiological Dysregulation, and Child Behavior Problems

Who can join

8 Months · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* Parents whose children (age 8 to 36 months) are enrolled or are eligible to be enrolled in Harrisburg PA and Lehigh Valley PA Early Head Start programs

Exclusion Criteria:

* Parents who are not sufficiently fluent in the language in which COS-P intervention will be conducted (Spanish or English)

About the study

Growing evidence demonstrates that secure attachment in childhood predicts children's healthy social, biological, and behavioral functioning, whereas insecure attachment predicts behavior problems and physiological dysregulation; thus, efforts to foster secure attachment are crucial for promoting the healthy development of children and families. This proposal describes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an innovative intervention program that can be widely implemented designed to foster children's secure attachment, promote healthy physiological regulation, and reduce the risk for behavior problems: The Circle of Security ® Parenting (COS-P) intervention. To this end, investigators will conduct an RCT with 249 parent-child dyads enrolled or are eligible but not yet enrolled in two diverse Early Head Start (EHS) programs.

What is being tested

• Circle of Security Parenting (behavioral)
• Little Talks (behavioral)

Sponsor: University of Maryland, College Park · Participants: 249 · Started: Mar 27, 2023

Contact the study team

• Jude Cassidy, Ph.D. · Phone: 301-405-4973
• Susan Woodhouse, Ph.D. · Phone: 610-758-3269

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05834907

Locations in the U.S.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.