Psychologists’ Perspectives on Behavioral Versus Attachment- and Emotion-Focused Parenting Interventions

Abstract

Attachment- and emotion-focused parenting interventions (AE) and behavioral parenting training (BPT) are evidence-based approaches for reducing child mental health problems and have been widely disseminated across many countries. Notwithstanding this, popular media suggests a potential implementation drift from BPT, though there is a lack of empirical research supporting this claim. Given that providers are often gatekeepers to the quality and types of programs available to parents, this study aimed to provide an updated account of psychologists’ perspectives and attitudes regarding AE and BPT. Twenty-four psychologists, with various levels of training in parenting interventions, participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews explored psychologists’ use and acceptability of AE and BPT for treating child mental health problems, including potential factors that may influence their acceptability. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified six main themes influencing psychologists’ implementation of parenting interventions. These included their professional training; affective experiences; values of safety and parent–child connection; societal parenting trends; beliefs about research and treatment tailoring; and systemic barriers. These findings provide a contemporary understanding on psychologists’ perceptions of AE and BPT. Although participants described an awareness of a perceived polarization between AE and BPT amongst psychologists in practice, many participants did not personally hold this view. Our results highlight the importance of considering provider-level factors—such as attitudes, affective experiences, and values—in future research and training on parenting interventions.