Cuddle-Calm Intervention to Strengthen Emotional Connection

Abstract

Background: Healthy parent-child emotional connection (EC) enhances child development, reduces parenting stress, and is teachable. This study explored the feasibility and efficacy of a brief primary-care intervention to strengthen EC. Method: Together with the Nurture Science Program at Columbia, we created brief illustrated booklets titled “CUDDLE” and “CALM,” which are acronyms linked to simple rhyming couplets teaching parents how to strengthen EC and reduce emotional upset. Subjects comprised a convenience sample of mainly low-income parents of 2- to …