The Buffering Toxic Stress (BTS) Consortium:
Testing Parenting Interventions in Early Head Start (EHS)
Sponsored by the Office of Planning,
Research & Evaluation (OPRE) within the
Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
Goals
O Each site must:
O Work to empirically validate the assessment
of toxic stress
O Test a promising intervention(s)
O Evaluate intervention implementation
O Include assessments of the hormone cortisol
Research Sites & Principal
Investigators
O New York University: Clancy Blair & C. Cybele Raver
O University of Colorado: Michelle Sarche & Misty Boyd
O University of Delaware: Rena Hallam, Myae Han, Jason
Hustedt, & Jennifer A. Vu
O University of Denver: Sarah Enos Watamura
O University of Maryland: Lisa Berlin & Brenda Jones Hardin
O Washington University: John N. Constantino
Intervention Required
Components
O Each site selected their own intervention based on
their sites specific needs and resources, and their
estimation of the research body behind each
O All interventions target parents as the first critical
support for infants and toddlers – and the barrier
between what is tolerable and what is toxic
O Families served must be attending Early Head Start
programming of some type (home visitation, center
care etc.)
Interventions by Site
O
New York University: Play and Learning Strategies (Pals)
O
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus: Parent-Child
Interaction Therapy (PCIT) & Mindfulness-Based Emotional Availability
Intervention
O
University of Delaware: Promoting First Relationships (PFR)
O
University of Denver: Filming Interactions to Nurture Development
(FIND), and FIND+ Parent Focused Support
O
University of Maryland: Attachment & Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC)
O
Washington University: Incredible Years Toddler Basic Parenting
Program (IYT)
New York University
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Intervention Name: Play and Learning Strategies (PLAY)
Intervention Developer: Landry
Population: primarily low income Latina mothers and children
Location: New York City
Intervention components:
Family coaches deliver the intervention by visiting families on a
weekly basis over the course of three months
O Each session includes a discussion of the parent's practice during
the preceding week; introduction of the new topic; viewing of
educational videos demonstrating the skill; guided, videotaped
practice using the skill with her own child; review of the videotaped
practice; and planning for practice during the upcoming week.
O
University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus
O Intervention Name: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
O
O
O
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(PCIT), and Mindfulness Based Emotional Availability
Intervention (MEAI)
Intervention Developers: PCIT - Eyberg; MEAI – Beringen
Population: American Indian
Location: A mid-western state (not Colorado)
Intervention components:
O PCIT first mastery is obtained with following the child’s
lead in play; then behavioral management strategies are
taught
O MEAI is a 4-session group format parent training in stress
management and being in the moment to support
emotional availability to children
University of Delaware
O Intervention Name: Promoting First Relationships (PFR)
O Intervention Developers: Kelly, Zuckerman, Sandoval,
Buehlman)
O Population: 45% African American; 35%
Hispanic/Latino; 15% White
O Location: Delaware
O Intervention components:
O 10 sessions, videotaped feedback, strengths based,
focused on 5 components (offering love and attention
every day; responding with empathy and understanding;
providing comfort when upset; offering a predictable world;
and promoting play and exploration
University of Denver
O Intervention Name: Filming Interactions to Nurture
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O
O
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Development
Intervention Developer: Phillip Fisher
Population: 60% immigrant families; majority
Hispanic families
Location: Denver metro area
Intervention components:
O Video-coaching method; 10 sessions; strengths-
based; uses micro interactions and very short clips
to illustrate them; works on 5 building competencies
(sharing the focus of attention; supporting and
encouraging; naming; back and forth; endings and
beginning)
University of Maryland
O Intervention Name: Attachment & Biobehavioral
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O
O
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Catch-up (ABC)
Intervention Developer: Dozier
Population:
Location: Maryland
Intervention components:
O Videotaped, uses highly trained coaches, near
continuous “in-the-moment” coaching feedback,
focuses on nurturance, following the child’s lead,
and non-frightening caregiving behavior
University of Washington
O Intervention Name: Incredible Years Toddler
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O
O
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Basic Parenting Program (IYT)
Intervention Developer: Webster-Stratton,
Reinke, & Herman
Population:
Location: Youth in Need sample drawn from
urban, suburban, & rural Missouri
Intervention components:
O 4-8 sessions depending on child age; emphasis
on child-directed play, emotion “coaching,” praise
and encouragement, management of common
early childhood tasks, and parental self-control
Shared Intervention
Components
O Careful assessment of family characteristics
O Attachment/positive parenting focus
O Theoretically grounded
O Most are relatively short interventions (4-16
weeks)
O Most include videotaping
O Most involve coaching
Differing Intervention
Components
O Strengths based only vs. strengths based
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and corrective
Who delivers the intervention (EHS
providers, outside coaches etc.)
Level of training needed for interventionists
Sample sizes and populations served
Type of control or comparison group
Study location
BTS Consortium Timeframe
O $12,000,000 awarded in September, 2011
O Study length: 5 years
O Expected conclusion date: August 2016
O First data available: 2014
O Complete data available: 2017