STEEPTM was one of the first attachment-based early intervention programs. The program applied findings from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study on Risk and Adaptation to the development of a supportive program for young high-risk mothers and their infants. STEEP’s effectiveness was evaluated first in a randomized controlled study launched in 1987. The study showed effects of the one-year intervention on important individual and parenting variables, but not on quality of mother–infant attachment. In the current German study with young mothers at risk for abuse and neglect, a two-year adaptation of STEEP was evaluated within a quasi-experimental design. STEEP mother–infant pairs (N = 78) were compared with pairs who received standard services of the German Child Welfare System (GCWS, N = 29). Compared with GCWS pairs, significantly more mother–infant pairs in the intervention group showed secure attachment patterns in Ainsworth´s Strange Situation when the infants were 12 months of age. At the end of the intervention (infant age = 24 month), attachment security scores derived from Waters’ Attachment Q-Sort were in the predicted direction and showed a medium effect size, but did not reach criteria of statistical significance. At both time points, the STEEP group showed significantly fewer signs of attachment disorganization than the comparison group.

Preliminary results of the attachment-based STEEP(TM) (Steps toward effective and enjoyable parenting) research practice project "WiEge" are presented. Within a multisite, longitudinal intervention study, young high-risk mothers enrolled in the 2-year STEEP(TM) program have developed significantly more secure attachment relationships with their 1-year old children compared to mothers of the control group, who received the standard support as usual in the German welfare system. Age of mothers at birth of their children, educational level, single motherhood status, and mental health diagnoses indicate that both groups are comparable. A global measure of risk status indicates that mothers of the STEEP(TM) group confront even more risks than control group mothers. Additional data on depression (Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, EPDS), parenting stress (PSI), or risky parental attitudes (Adult-Adolescent Parenting Interview®, AAPI) are being presented and discussed with regard to the differences found being an effect of the STEEP(TM) program. Since the focus of the STEEP(TM) program is on empirically validated mechanisms in attachment development, it is also important that the results are in line with attachment theory. At the same time, we did not find significant group differences with regard to attachment disorganization. Supporting mothers in being more sensitive and to improve on reflective functioning--as being done in STEEP(TM)--does not seem to be sufficient to prevent attachment disorganization, as others studies have also shown. Although based on small sample sizes, the results are informative for improving intervention strategies, which need to focus more on the developmental process underlying attachment disorganization, i.e., unusual parental behavior.