A Pilot Study of an Attachment-Based Parenting Intervention for Parents of Adolescents in China: Translation, Modifications, and Preliminary Effectiveness

Adolescent mental health problems have increased internationally, and over one-quarter of Chinese adolescents—approximately 40 million teens—have reported significant mental health problems in recent years. This study tailored and evaluated the acceptance, uptake, and effectiveness of Connect, a brief manualized trauma-informed and attachment-based parenting program, for Mandarin-speaking families in Beijing, China. 30 parents (aged 36–50 years, M_age = 44.6, SD = 3.2; 83.3% mothers, 16.7% fathers) of youth aged 10–16 years (M_age = 13.4, SD = 1.5; 50.0% female) were enrolled in a single-arm pilot study with preprogram and postprogram assessments of youth mental health, parental functioning, and quality of parent–child relationships. Careful translation was necessary to retain program nuances and meaning, including references to Chinese idioms and poems to enhance cultural meaning. Program modifications included tailoring role plays to reflect culturally relevant domains of parent–youth conflict, direct prompting of parents in reflection exercises and discussions, and a deeper emphasis on empathy in parent–child relationships. These modifications enhanced rather than diminished core program fidelity within this cultural context. Program enrolment, attendance, retention, and parents' feedback revealed strong program acceptance and perceived cultural fit. Parents also reported significant reductions in youth internalizing and externalizing problems, youth-to-parent and parent-to-youth physical and psychological aggression, parent depressed mood, and parenting strain. The findings align with previous randomized clinical trials and implementation studies of Connect across diverse countries, contexts, and clinical populations. Replication is required with larger samples, randomized designs, and using parent and youth measures to sensitively capture the quality of parent–child relationships.