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Longitudinal Outcomes of Child Parent Psychotherapy: Response to Commentaries

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Abstract

In response to the commentaries provided by Chu et al. (2020), Harmon et al. (2020), and McMahon & Maxwell (2020) on our longitudinal follow-up of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) with mothers with depression and their children, we focus on two domains: accessibility and scalability of CPP and identifying empirically supported mechanisms of change in attachment intervention research. In considering the accessibility and scalability of CPP, we discuss issues related to attrition, length of intervention, and implementation with caregivers with depression. Our discussion of mechanisms of change in attachment interventions explores active comparison conditions, theorized mediators, intervention modalities, assessment methods, and longitudinal research designs. This conversation is intended to highlight important areas for future research in the field of attachment interventions, with the goal of informing clinical and systems-level policies and practices.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NIMH under Grant R01 MH45027.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Andrew J. Ross, Elizabeth D. Handley, Jody Todd Manly, Danielle J. Guild, Dante Cicchetti, Fred A. Rogosch & Sheree L. Toth

  2. Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Dante Cicchetti

  3. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Michelle E. Alto

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  1. Michelle E. Alto
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  2. Andrew J. Ross
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Correspondence to Michelle E. Alto.

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Alto, M.E., Ross, A.J., Handley, E.D. et al. Longitudinal Outcomes of Child Parent Psychotherapy: Response to Commentaries. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 49, 595–601 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00801-4

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