Maternal mind-mindedness and its association with attachment: the case of Arab infants and mothers in Israel

Tarabeh, Gubair; Zreik, Ghadir; Oppenheim, David; Sagi-Schwartz, Avi; Koren‐Karie, Nina

doi:10.1080/14616734.2018.1469653

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Past studies reported that appropriate and nonattuned MM had differential associations with sensitivity and mother-infant attachment (e.g., [9,19,27]). Although previous studies have mostly reported lack of associations between the two dimensions of MM [4], in the present study appropriated and nonattuned MM were significantly correlated ( r = .24; see [123] for a similar correlation), perhaps suggesting that some mothers in the sample had a general tendency to use more mental-states words (regardless of their appropriateness). In general, our results suggest that each MM dimension may rely on a different cognitive process, and that each is moderated by a different child-related factor: Appropriate MM was associated with updating and moderated by child temperament, and nonattuned MM was associated with resistance to interference among mothers of full-terms.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 50%

What’s going on in my baby’s mind? Mothers’ executive functions contribute to individual differences in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions

2018

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Maternal mentalization refers to a mother’s capacity to understand mental-states of herself and her child and to regard her child as a psychological agent. In mother-infant interactions, this capacity is commonly conceptualized as maternal mind-mindedness, which can be divided into two dimensions: appropriate and nonattuned interpretations of the infants’ mental-states. Appropriate mind-mindedness refers to interpretations that seem to be compatible with the infant’s behaviors, whereas nonattuned mind-mindedness refers to noncompatible interpretations. The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to mind-mindedness. Specifically, we investigated the role of executive functions in appropriate and nonattuned mind-mindedness, and the moderating roles of two infant-related factors, prematurity (as a stressful context) and child temperament (as a context of unpredictability and negative emotionality). To this end, mother-infant free play interactions were coded for mind-mindedness in a sample of 102 mothers and their 6-month-old infants (61 preterm, 41 full-term). When children were 66-months old, mothers completed cognitive tasks that assessed working memory updating, resistance to interference, response inhibition, and shifting. Appropriate mind-mindedness was positively associated with updating, and this link was stronger when infant temperament was rated as more difficult. Furthermore, among mothers of full-term infants, mothers’ resistance to interference was negatively associated with nonattuned mind-mindedness. This link was not evident in the stressful context of premature birth. Mothers’ response inhibition and shifting were not associated with either of the mind-mindedness dimensions. Implications on understanding variability in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions and the roles of executive functions in parenting are discussed.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 50%

What’s going on in my baby’s mind? Mothers’ executive functions contribute to individual differences in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Past studies reported that appropriate and nonattuned MM had differential associations with sensitivity and mother-infant attachment (e.g., [9,19,27]). Although previous studies have mostly reported lack of associations between the two dimensions of MM [4], in the present study appropriated and nonattuned MM were significantly correlated (r = .24; see [123] for a similar correlation), perhaps suggesting that some mothers in the sample had a general tendency to use more mentalstates words (regardless of their appropriateness). In general, our results suggest that each MM dimension may rely on a different cognitive process, and that each is moderated by a different child-related factor: Appropriate MM was associated with updating and moderated by child temperament, and nonattuned MM was associated with resistance to interference among mothers of full-terms.…”

Section: The Multidimensionality Of Mind-mindednesscontrasting

confidence: 45%

What’s Going on in My Baby’s Mind? Mothers’ Executive Functions Contribute to Individual Differences in Maternal Mentalization During Mother-Infant Interactions

Yatziv¹,

Kessler²,

Atzaba‐Poria³

2017

Preprint

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Maternal mentalization refers to a mother’s capacity to understand mental-states of herself and her child and to regard her child as a psychological agent. In mother-infant interactions, this capacity is commonly conceptualized as maternal mind-mindedness, which can be divided into two dimensions: appropriate and nonattuned interpretations of the infants’ mental-states. Appropriate mind-mindedness refers to interpretations that seem to be compatible with the infant’s behaviors, whereas the nonattuned mind-mindedness refers to noncompatible interpretations. The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to mind-mindedness. Specifically, we investigated the role of executive functions in appropriate and nonattuned mind-mindedness, and the moderating roles of two infant-related factors, prematurity (as a stressful context) and child temperament (as a context of unpredictability and negative emotionality). To this end, mother-infant free play interactions were coded for mind-mindedness in a sample of 102 mothers and their 6-month-old infants (61 preterm, 41 full-term). When children were 66-months old, mothers completed cognitive tasks that assessed working memory updating, resistance to interference, response inhibition, and shifting. Appropriate mind-mindedness was positively associated with updating, and this link was stronger when infant temperament was rated as more difficult. Furthermore, among mothers of full-term infants, mothers’ resistance to interference was negatively associated with nonattuned mind-mindedness. This link was not evident in the stressful context of premature birth. Mothers’ response inhibition and shifting were not associated with either of the mind-mindedness dimensions. Implications on understanding variability in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions and the roles of executive functions in parenting are discussed.

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Defining Parent Responsiveness: A Systematic Review‐Based Theoretical Model

Campi,

Nye,

Baranek

2024

Infant and Child Development

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Parent responsiveness to infants' cues may support attachment, mental health, and neurodevelopment. Across studies, parent responsiveness includes various behaviours (e.g., verbal responses, sensitivity, timeliness, physical proximity). Mixed evidence regarding associations between parent responsiveness and child development may be partially attributable to variable conceptualizations of parent responsiveness. Additionally, divergent perspectives on parent responsiveness may limit cross‐disciplinary collaborations, which are important to best support families in developing responsive parenting skills. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review of articles published from 1952 to 2022 was to establish a multidimensional definition of parent responsiveness. Inclusion criteria for the 463 articles included in this review were: (a) primary focus on behavioural parent responsiveness; (b) average infant age 6–18 months; and (c) in‐depth definition of parent responsiveness. We completed a qualitative content analysis of the definitions of parent responsiveness extracted from each included article. The resulting definition contains 15 dimensions of parent responsiveness across four levels of behaviour that comprehensively describe the complexity of parent‐infant interactions. This model is foundational for future studies of parent responsiveness, its impact on child development, and factors that influence parents' ability to respond to their infants' cues.

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Maternal mind-mindedness and its association with attachment: the case of Arab infants and mothers in Israel

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

What’s going on in my baby’s mind? Mothers’ executive functions contribute to individual differences in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions

What’s going on in my baby’s mind? Mothers’ executive functions contribute to individual differences in maternal mentalization during mother-infant interactions

What’s Going on in My Baby’s Mind? Mothers’ Executive Functions Contribute to Individual Differences in Maternal Mentalization During Mother-Infant Interactions

Defining Parent Responsiveness: A Systematic Review‐Based Theoretical Model

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