Parental Reflective Functioning as a Moderator for the Relationship Between Maternal Depression and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

Abstract

Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) refers to parents’ capacity to view their child’s and their own behavior considering inner mental states, like thoughts, desires, and intentions. This study’s objective was to examine whether PRF acted as a moderator for the relationships between maternal depression and child internalizing and externalizing problems. The sample was comprised of 685 Iranian mothers with preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) and school-aged (6–10 years old) children. To assess PRF, the PRF questionnaire was used. Child internalizing and externalizing difficulties were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist, and maternal depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory- second version. Results indicated significant relationships between maternal depression and PRF (specifically pre-mentalizing and certainty in mental states). Also, mothers of school-aged children showed significantly higher levels of pre-mentalizing than mothers of preschoolers. Furthermore, certainty about mental states moderated the relationship between maternal depression and child externalizing behaviors in school-aged children. However, no moderating effect was found for pre-mentalizing or interest and curiosity in mental states in any age group.

Effect of Attachment and Child Health (ATTACHTM) Parenting Program on Parent-Infant Attachment, Parental Reflective Function, and Parental Depression

“…Although the ATTACH TM intervention is not primarily designed to improve parental depression, the observed trends that were observed are encouraging and supported by existing research. Parental RF has been negatively affected by higher severity of depressive symptoms [ 79 ], meaning that high depression scores negatively impact the ability to mentalize [ 80 ] and a significant negative correlation was observed between low RF and parental sensitivity ( r = −0.24, p = 0.048) [ 79 , 81 ]. Both parental RF and depression may play related roles in undermining maternal sensitive responsiveness and may influence child attachment security [ 32 , 33 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Perinatal substance use and the underpinnings of addiction and attachment: Implications for parenting interventions.

“…With a central focus on the parent–child relationship, COS promotes the development of a secure attachment by supporting parents to function as a secure base and safe haven for their child (Parolin & Simonelli, 2016). The program aims to increase parental reflective functioning (RF), the parent's ability to understand their own and their child's observable behavior by considering intentions and emotions (i.e., internal, unobservable states; (Khoshroo & Seyed Mousavi, 2021; Suchman et al, 2011). Parental RF has implications for child development and attachment and is considered especially important in parents of infants and young children who are developmentally unable to describe their internal states to others and are reliant on co-regulation with caregivers (see Slade, 2005, for a review).…”

“…Parental RF has implications for child development and attachment and is considered especially important in parents of infants and young children who are developmentally unable to describe their internal states to others and are reliant on co-regulation with caregivers (see Slade, 2005, for a review). One measure of Parental RF, the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Luyten et al, 2017) examines three factors of the construct (i.e., pre-mentalizing modes, interest in mental states, and certainty regarding mental states) using 18 self-reported items (Khoshroo & Seyed Mousavi, 2021). The development of self-regulation from co-regulation with attachment figures (see Erdmann & Hertel, 2019, for a review) suggests parental RF may have implications for later substance use.…”

Parental Mentalizing during Middle Childhood: How Is the Adoption of a Reflective Stance Associated with Child’s Psychological Outcomes?

“…As regards PRF construct, the studies listed below mostly used an interview-based assessment of mentalizing (e.g., RFS [16,18]) while a few studies [20,[28][29][30][31] used the newly developed Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire [20] which is easier and more convenient to operate but prone to the tradeoffs of self-report questionnaires. These studies have highlighted the role of PRF in regard to a child's psychopathological symptoms by showing a negative association between good parental mentalizing and child's internalizing and externalizing problems [28,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37], and better socio-emotional competencies and fewer socio-emotional problems for the child [31,38]. Other studies have shown a negative association between parental mentalizing and a child's anxiety levels [39] and a positive relationship with a child's mentalizing [40][41][42][43].…”