The Circle of Security Model and Attachment
Research on both the Circle of Security-Intensive model and the Circle of Security Parenting program has been building over time. The first major peer-reviewed publication on the effectiveness of the COS-Intensive model was published in 2006:
Hoffman, K., Marvin, R., Cooper, G. & Powell, B. (2006). Changing toddlers' and preschoolers' attachment classifications: The Circle of Security Intervention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 1017-1026.
The study sample consisted of parents or primary caregivers of children enrolled in Head Start programs in the state of Washington, USA. Each dyad went through a comprehensive pre-intervention evaluation which included the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), a well-known standardized videotaped protocol. After completing COS-Intensive intervention, the parent-child dyads were once again evaluated using the Strange Situation Procedure. Trained coders, who were unaware of whether they were viewing a pre- or post-intervention SSP and who showed high levels of inter-rater agreement, identified dyads as secure, insecure and/or disorganized/insecure-other using established classification protocols. Results revealed statistically significant shifts in the percentage of dyads coded as insecure and/or disorganized after intervention as graphically depicted here:
Disorganized Attachment Status
Insecure Attachment Status
Because the COS-Intensive model required very intensive training and supervision, its dissemination was slow. Nevertheless, further studies followed and, when the more scalable Circle of Security Parenting program was released in 2010, more providers were trained and more research studies ensued.
Further description of the development of the two primary COS models and the research backing them can be found in this chapter first released in 2018 (login required to view).
For those interested in a listing (which we update every 6 months) of all publications (peer-reviewed studies or descriptive papers as well as book chapters), check out our bibliography.
Both Circle of Security-Intensive and COSP have been listed by various evidence-based review listings at the level of Promising Practice. The following link leads to a Guidebook of parenting programs reviewed by the Early Intervention Foundation in the UK.
The Early Intervention Foundation review (listed above) rated COSP at the lowest cost level for implementation, in part because our COSP training (delivered in-person or online) is all that is required to become a Registered COSP Facilitator. There is also cost/benefit data available from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (US).
For a listing of interventions promoting children’s social and emotional development in primary care (including parenting interventions) reviewed by the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality in the USA.
Circle of Security Parenting has also been listed in the database of research-based parenting curricula compiled by the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center and Head Start in the USA.
Circle of Security Parenting is increasingly being used to help early learning providers from many backgrounds to promote social and emotional development in the childcare or classroom setting. For more on this approach and the research supporting it, check out our COSP Classroom Approach.
Research Foundations and Emerging Evidence
If you are interested in conducting research on any of the COS models or have questions about research on the COS models, please contact our Research Liaison, Neil Boris, MD. at neil[at]circleofsecurityinternational[dot]com.
Map of Regions
