title: Fostering secure attachment in low- and middle-income countries: Suggestions for evidence-based interventions.
abstract: Children struggling with the effects of trauma in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) face a substantial mental health resource gap that limits their opportunities for positive psychosocial development. Multidisciplinary interventions working to close this gap may benefit from incorporating an empirically supported treatment (EST) into their approach that targets a universal mechanism implicated in resilience, like attachment. ESTs should be selected based on their level of empirical support and cultural adaptability, and then modified on the basis of qualitative evaluations conducted with the local population and stakeholders. This paper will provide an overview of attachment as a mechanism of resilience, a critical analysis of existing attachment-based ESTs, and recommendations for overcoming EST implementation barriers in LMIC.
authors.affiliation: Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, 187 Edinburgh St., Rochester, NY, 14608, United States. Electronic address: michelle.alto@rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Michelle E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Alto
authors.affiliation: Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, 187 Edinburgh St., Rochester, NY, 14608, United States. Electronic address: christie_petrenko@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: Christie L M
authors.initials: CLM
authors.lastname: Petrenko
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054521:Cultural Competency; D003906:Developing Countries; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011203:Poverty; D015397:Program Evaluation; D055500:Resilience, Psychological
keywords: Attachment; Child mental health; Empirically supported treatment; Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)