Treating infants and young children impacted by trauma: Interventions that promote healthy development.

The Impact of Child‐Parent Psychotherapy on Child Dependency Court Outcomes

“…Evaluation research has shown that parent‐child relationship‐based therapies are interventions that courts can order eligible parents to participate in with their children because insecure and dysfunctional parent‐child relationships are a major barrier to reunification (Casanueva et al, 2019; Cordero, 2004), which can be addressed by such treatments. Specifically, Child‐Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), an evidence‐based parent‐child relationship‐based therapy, has already seen some implementation success in juvenile court settings, though more research is needed to understand the unique impacts of this type of service on case outcomes (Casanueva et al, 2019; Chinitz et al, 2017; Osofsky et al, 2017). The present study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the impacts of court orders to participate in CPP and parents’ actual participation in CPP on their child welfare case outcomes.…”

“…Disruption in the child-parent relationship can cause additional socioemotional issues that make reunification difficult for families separated by child welfare intervention, and continued parent-child relations can have benefits for children in out-of-home care (Cordero, 2004;Heller et al, 2002;McWey et al, 2010). For example, some children separated from their caregivers due to allegations of abuse or neglect are more likely to develop behavioral problems and have attachment disturbances compared to their counterparts who remain with their parents (Heller et al, 2002;Scarborough et al, 2009;Osofsky et al, 2017). Compromised parent-child relationships, as evidenced by reactivity or ambivalence in parent-child interactions, have been found to be a barrier to reunification (Cordero, 2004).…”

Maltreated and Traumatized Children and Young People

“…It is important in the context of this chapter to note that the majority of reported exposures take place during adolescence (Landolt et al 2013). Much less is known about levels of exposure across childhood, particularly in the developmentally sensitive period of infancy, although recent research confirms both the existence of such exposure and its detrimental effects (Osofsky et al 2017). PTEs tend to co-occur, with around half of respondents indicating exposure to more than one such event (McLaughlin et al 2013).…”

“…Experiencing interpersonal violence or witnessing it in relation to a key attachment figure is considered particularly likely to lead to complex, pervasive and sustained developmental sequelae (Lambert et al 2017). Prolonged or repeated exposure to severe stressors, especially without the ability to escape or avoid the maltreatment (such as in the case of abuse of a young child by an attachment figure) heightens risk of multiple morbidity (Osofsky et al 2017).…”

Challenges Experienced by Caregivers Caring for Abandoned Infants and Toddlers in Institutional Care

“…According to Osofsky, Stepka and King (2017), infants and toddlers who have suffered numerous early adverse experiences, such as abandonment, are more likely to demonstrate neurobiological effects, such as brain abnormalities, dysregulation of their stress response, and psychosocial effects. In these studies, it is evident that there are long-lasting effects on personality formation, behaviour and mental health among children who have been exposed to adversity in the early stages of their development (Kaminer & Eagle, 2010;Landy & Bradley, 2014;Osofsky et al, 2017).…”