*The efficacy of the attachment-based SAFE® prevention program: a randomized control trial including mothers and fathers

ABSTRACT

SAFE® is a primary prevention program to promote secure infant-parent attachment. SAFE explicitly addresses mothers and fathers. In this current first study, efficacy was assessed in a low-risk German sample using a randomized control trial with an active control intervention. A high rate of fathers’ participation was achieved: in SAFE 84.6% and in the control group intervention 73.9% of the fathers participated. Infant-parent attachment was assessed at the end of the year-long programs. There was a significant difference between groups in terms of secure infant-father attachment, but not of infant-mother attachment. In SAFE, 84.6% of the infants were securely attached to their father (n = 39), in comparison to 65.8% in the control group (n = 38). The proportion of secure infant-mother attachment was 66.7% in the SAFE group (n = 54) and 64.0% in the control group (n = 50). The program was successful in promoting infant-father attachment security.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment-based prevention
• father involvement
• infant-father attachment
• infant-mother attachment
• SAFE

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful for the participation of the families and facilitators. We thank all research assistants for the contribution in collecting and processing the data. We furthermore thank Kenneth Kronenberg for linguistic manuscript revisions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.