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Schwarzer NH, Heim N, Gingelmaier S, Fonagy P, Nolte T. Mentalizing as a Predictor of Well-Being and Emotion Regulation: Longitudinal Evidence from a Community Sample of Young Adults. Psychol Rep 2024:332941241261902. [PMID: 38876977 DOI: 10.1177/00332941241261902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Background: In recent years, mentalizing - the capacity to understand one's own and others' intentional mental states in social contexts - has been considered to be a protective capacity that enables adaptive processing of stress-related emotional arousal, benefits general well-being and underpins adaptive emotion regulation. Objective: Several studies using cross-sectional research designs have demonstrated the potential health-promoting effect of mentalizing in non-clinical samples. However, longitudinal evidence is scarce. The present study aimed to investigate whether mentalizing predicts well-being and emotion regulation strategies in a non-clinical sample of mainly young adults using a prospective longitudinal design. Methods: In a prospective research design, 135 participants completed questionnaires assessing well-being, psychological symptom severity and mentalizing capacity at baseline (T1). Twelve months later (T2), emotion regulation strategies (suppression and cognitive reappraisal), well-being and psychological symptom severity were assessed by self-report. The data were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Impairments in mentalizing were a significant negative predictor of well-being 12 months later. Furthermore, impairments in mentalizing positively predicted suppression of emotional states at T2. No association was found between deficits in mentalizing and cognitive reappraisal of emotional states over the course of 1 year. Conclusion: The findings indicate that mentalizing is longitudinally associated with mental health indicators in a non-clinical adult sample. Specifically, ineffective mentalizing was associated with impaired psychological well-being and a tendency to suppress intense emotional states over a period of 1 year. Future research should replicate these findings using multiple measurement timepoints to etablish causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola-Hans Schwarzer
- Institut für Sonderpädagogik, Fakultät für Erziehungs- und Sozialwissenschaften, Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nikolas Heim
- International Psychoanaytic University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Gingelmaier
- Abteilung soziale und emotionale Entwicklung, Fakultät III für Sonderpädagogik, Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsberg, Germany
| | - Peter Fonagy
- Anna Freud Centre, London, UK
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tobias Nolte
- Anna Freud Centre, London, UK
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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Wendelboe KI, Stuart AC, Smith-Nielsen J, Linkhorst TB, Væver MS. Offline and online parental mentalizing in mothers with symptoms of postpartum depression: Examining the association between self-reported parental reflective functioning and interactional mind-mindedness. Infant Ment Health J 2024; 45:301-317. [PMID: 38446014 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Mentalizing is, to a certain extent, considered context specific. However, research on the association between parents' abilities to reflect upon their infant's mental states outside social interaction (offline) versus during ongoing parent-infant interaction (online) is currently limited. This study investigated the association between self-reported offline and online mentalizing in a sample of primarily ethnically Danish mothers (N = 142), with symptoms of postpartum depression, and their 1-11-month-old infants. Offline mentalizing was assessed with the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-Infant Version (PRFQ-I) and online mentalizing was assessed with interactional mind-mindedness. Ordinal logistic regressions showed that a higher score on the PRFQ-I prementalizing subscale was negatively related to number of overall mind-related comments and appropriate mind-related comments produced by mothers during interaction with their infant. Our results indicate partial overlaps between self-reported parental reflective functioning and mind-mindedness, that is, that particularly offline maladaptive mentalizing is associated with lower levels of mentalizing during interaction in mothers with symptoms of depression. Post-hoc examination of the interaction effect of postpartum depression showed that this association was only evident in mothers with medium to high levels of depression. Findings and implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrine I Wendelboe
- Department of Psychology, Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne C Stuart
- Department of Psychology, Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johanne Smith-Nielsen
- Department of Psychology, Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thea B Linkhorst
- Department of Psychology, Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mette Skovgaard Væver
- Department of Psychology, Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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3
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Borelli JL, Hong K, Kazmierski KFM, Smiley PA, Sohn L, Guo Y. Parents' depressive symptoms and reflective functioning predict parents' proficiency in relational savoring and children's physiological regulation. Dev Psychopathol 2024; 36:121-134. [PMID: 36239047 DOI: 10.1017/s095457942200102x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This study examined parental depression and parental reflective functioning (PRF) as predictors of parental proficiency in relational savoring (RS), the association between RS proficiency and a marker of children's physiological self-regulation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), during a stressor, and indirect effects of parental depression and PRF on children's RSA via parents' RS. At Time 1 (T1), parents of 8- to 12-year-old children (N = 139) reported on their depressive symptoms and completed a parenting interview, coded for PRF. After 1.5 years (Time 2; T2), parents savored a positive relational memory that involved their children, which was coded for savoring proficiency. Children's RSA was measured during a stressful task (a series of impossible puzzles). Depressive symptoms (inversely) and PRF (positively) were associated with RS proficiency. Higher parental RS proficiency was associated with children's higher mean levels of RSA during the stressor. Indirect effects models supported that T2 RS proficiency mediated the negative association between parental T1 depressive symptoms and children's T2 RSA, and between T1 PRF and children's T2 RSA. We discuss these findings in terms of implications for parents' emotion regulation, children's emotion regulation, children's mental health, and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Borelli
- University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Pomona College, Claremont, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Lucas Sohn
- University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yuqing Guo
- University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Shao R, Liu S, Coplan RJ, Chen X, Liu J. Examining a Complex Model Linking Maternal Reflective Functioning, Maternal Meta-Emotion Philosophies, and Child Emotion Regulation. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1161. [PMID: 37508658 PMCID: PMC10378255 DOI: 10.3390/children10071161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) refers to parents' ability to understand their children's behavior in light of underlying mental states such as thoughts, desires, and intentions. This study aimed to investigate whether maternal meta-emotion philosophies (i.e., emotion coaching, emotion dismissing) mediated the relation between maternal RF and child emotion regulation (ER). Additionally, children's genders and ages were examined as moderators of the associations between maternal RF and maternal meta-emotion philosophies. The sample comprises 667 Chinese mothers of children aged 4-6 years. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing their reflective functioning, emotion coaching and dismissing, and child emotion regulation. Results indicated both a direct link between maternal RF and child emotion regulation, as well as indirect pathways mediated by emotion coaching and dismissing. A child's gender and age also moderated the relations between maternal RF and meta-emotion philosophies. Specifically, the negative association between maternal pre-mentalizing modes and emotion coaching was stronger for mothers of girls than boys; whereas the negative association between maternal certainty of mental states and emotion dismissing, as well as the positive association between maternal interest and curiosity and emotion coaching were both stronger for mothers of younger children than older children. The findings suggest that emotion coaching and dismissing mediate the relation between maternal PRF and the emotion regulation of children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Shao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East of China Normal University, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Sitong Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East of China Normal University, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Robert J Coplan
- Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Xi Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East of China Normal University, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Junsheng Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East of China Normal University, Shanghai 200050, China
- Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China
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Gur A, Hindi TN, Mashiach S, Roth D, Keren M. Parental reflective functioning and coping among parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities: An early integrative bio-psycho-social rehabilitative intervention in daycare facilities. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 139:104555. [PMID: 37348329 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental reflective functioning has a positive effect on parents' wellbeing. It is associated with positive outcomes for their children. However, there is little research on it among parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities. AIMS We examined an early bio-psycho-social rehabilitative intervention with parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities in daycare programs and its contribution to their parental reflective functioning and coping. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Seventy parents of children (ages 3 months to two and half years) responded to measures before and after the intervention in their children's daycare programs. Structural equation modeling of the mediation model revealed that the therapeutic inputs were associated with more adaptive coping strategies by increasing parental reflective functioning. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Parents who participated in an intervention of 13 sessions or more significantly increased their reflective functioning. The path analysis showed that parental reflective functioning after the intervention mediated the association between its prior level and the therapeutic inputs, and the parents' proactivity and search for support. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Parental reflective functioning positively affects parents' adaptive coping styles. A bio-psycho-social intervention targeting parental reflective functioning benefits parents of toddlers with severe developmental disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Gur
- Social Work Department, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel.
| | - Tali-Noy Hindi
- School of Political Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Dana Roth
- Beit Issie Shapiro, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Miri Keren
- Medical school, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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6
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Carlone C, Milan S, Decoste C, Borelli JL, McMahon TJ, Suchman NE. Self-report measure of parental reflective functioning: A study of reliability and validity across three samples of varying clinical risk. Infant Ment Health J 2023; 44:240-254. [PMID: 36857469 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) provides an efficient way to measure a parent's capacity to recognize their child's mental states and to understand the relationship between underlying mental states and behavior. To date, limited work evaluates its psychometric properties beyond initial validation studies. Here we examined the reliability and validity of the PRFQ in three samples of varying clinical risk (e.g., community sample, previous mental health diagnosis, substance use disorder diagnosis). Across samples, the majority (e.g., 75%-78%) of mothers identified as White; all mothers were from the USA. We compared the PRFQ to task-based measures of mentalization, the Parent Development Interview (PDI), and measures of the parent-child relationship. The PRFQ was a reliable measure across samples, and it was associated in theoretically consistent ways with task-based measures of mentalization. Parental RF across the PDI and PRFQ were not highly correlated in a sample of mothers with substance use disorders. Existing RF measures may be tapping into a different component of the broader construct of parental reflective functioning (PRF). The PRFQ was further validated by demonstrating relationships with parent-report measures of the parent-child relationship. Taken together, these findings provide additional support for the reliability and validity of the PRFQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Carlone
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Stephanie Milan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Cindy Decoste
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jessica L Borelli
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Thomas J McMahon
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Nancy E Suchman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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7
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Borelli JL, Kazmierski KFM, Gaskin GE, Kerr ML, Smiley PA, Rasmussen HF. Savoring interventions for mothers of young children: Mechanisms linking relational savoring and personal savoring to reflective functioning. Infant Ment Health J 2023; 44:200-217. [PMID: 36811971 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.22038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Parenting interventions can improve parenting outcomes, with widespread implications for children's developmental trajectories. Relational savoring (RS) is a brief attachment-based intervention with high potential for dissemination. Here we examine data from a recent intervention trial in order to isolate the mechanisms by which savoring predicts reflective functioning (RF) at treatment follow-up through an examination of the content of savoring sessions (specificity, positivity, connectedness, safe haven/secure base, self-focus, child-focus). Mothers (N = 147, Mage = 30.84 years, SDage = 5.13; Race: 67.3% White/Caucasian, 12.9% other or declined to state; 10.9% biracial/multiracial, 5.4% Asian, 1.4% Native American/Alaska Native, 2.0% Black/African American; Ethnicity: 41.5% Latina) of toddlers (Mage = 20.96 months, SDage = 2.50; 53.5% female) were randomized to four sessions of RS or personal savoring (PS). Both RS and PS predicted higher RF, but through different means. RS was indirectly associated with higher RF through greater connectedness and specificity of savoring content, while PS was indirectly associated with higher RF through greater self-focus in savoring content. We discuss the implications of these findings for treatment development and for our understanding of the emotional experience of mothers of toddlers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Borelli
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kelly F M Kazmierski
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Gerin E Gaskin
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Margaret L Kerr
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Patricia A Smiley
- Department of Psychology, Pomona College, Claremont, California, USA
| | - Hannah F Rasmussen
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Huffman LG, Oshri A. Continuity versus change in latent profiles of emotion regulation and working memory during adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101177. [PMID: 36436429 PMCID: PMC9706540 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant structural and functional brain development occurs during early adolescence. These changes underlie developments in central neurocognitive processes such as working memory (WM) and emotion regulation (ER). The preponderance of studies modeling trajectories of adolescent brain development use variable-centered approaches, omitting attention to individual differences that may undergird neurobiological embedding of early life stress and attendant psychopathology. This preregistered, data-driven study used latent transition analysis (LTA) to identify (1) latent profiles of neural function during a WM and implicit ER task, (2) transitions in profiles across 24 months, and 3) associations between transitions, parental support, and subsequent psychopathology. Using two waves of data from the ABCD Study (Mage T1 = 10; Mage T2 = 12), we found three unique profiles of neural function at both T1 and T2. The Typical, Emotion Hypo-response, and Emotion-Hyper response profiles were characterized by, respectively: moderate amygdala activation and fusiform deactivation; high ACC, fusiform, and insula deactivation; and high amygdala, ACC, and insula response to ER. While 69.5 % remained in the Typical profile from T1 to T2, 27.8 % of the sample moved from one profile at T1 to another at T2. However, neither latent profiles nor transitions exhibited associations between parental support or psychopathology symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Landry Goodgame Huffman
- Neuroscience Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Human Development & Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Assaf Oshri
- Neuroscience Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Human Development & Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Ojha A, Miller JG, King LS, Davis EG, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Empathy for others versus for one's child: Associations with mothers' brain activation during a social cognitive task and with their toddlers' functioning. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22313. [PMID: 36282757 PMCID: PMC9608359 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Caregivers who are higher in dispositional empathy tend to have children with better developmental outcomes; however, few studies have considered the role of child-directed (i.e., "parental") empathy, which may be relevant for the caregiver-child relationship. We hypothesized that mothers' parental empathy during their child's infancy will be a stronger predictor of their child's social-emotional functioning as a toddler than will mothers' dispositional empathy. We further explored whether parental and dispositional empathy have shared or distinct patterns of neural activation during a social-cognitive movie-watching task. In 118 mother-infant dyads, greater parental empathy assessed when infants were 6 months old was associated with more social-emotional competencies and fewer problems in the children 1 year later, even after adjusting for dispositional empathy. In contrast, dispositional empathy was not associated with child functioning when controlling for parental empathy. In a subset of 20 mothers, insula activation was positively associated with specific facets of both dispositional and parental empathy, whereas right temporoparietal junction activation was associated only with parental empathy. Thus, dispositional and parental empathy appear to be dissociable by both brain and behavioral metrics. Parental empathy may be a viable target for interventions, especially for toddlers at risk for developing social-emotional difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Ojha
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, PA
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | - Lucy S. King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Elena G. Davis
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Kathryn L. Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ian H. Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
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Charpentier Mora S, Bastianoni C, Koren-Karie N, Cavanna D, Tironi M, Bizzi F. Parental Mentalizing during Middle Childhood: How Is the Adoption of a Reflective Stance Associated with Child's Psychological Outcomes? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19106205. [PMID: 35627742 PMCID: PMC9140343 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19106205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This exploratory cross-sectional study attempts to understand the mechanisms underlying the role of parental mentalizing in a child's psychological functioning during middle childhood by using Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) and Parental Insightfulness (PI) constructs. The main aims are to examine the role of PI and PRF as processes capable of influencing a child's psychological functioning in terms of emotional-behavioral difficulties and social-emotional competencies. Eighty-six community parents (48 mothers, 38 fathers) and their 50 children in middle childhood (Mage = 10.10, SD = 1.13) participated in this study, recruited through a non-probabilistic sampling. The following measures were used to assess the aims of this study: Insightfulness Assessment, Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) questionnaires. Results showed that parental mentalizing was found to be significantly associated with both child's internalizing and externalizing symptoms and social-emotional competencies as reported by parents through the CBCL and DESSA questionnaires. This study may offer a contribution to the study of parental mentalizing during middle childhood, supporting the hypothesis that both parents' ability to understand their child's mental states could affect the child's psychological functioning. Clinical and theoretical implications are geared toward a family-based view with a specific focus on the importance of fostering in both parents a positive attitude toward mentalizing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Charpentier Mora
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genova, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.M.); (C.B.); (D.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Chiara Bastianoni
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genova, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.M.); (C.B.); (D.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Nina Koren-Karie
- The Center for the Study of Child Development, School of Social Work, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel;
| | - Donatella Cavanna
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genova, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.M.); (C.B.); (D.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Marta Tironi
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genova, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.M.); (C.B.); (D.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Fabiola Bizzi
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genova, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.M.); (C.B.); (D.C.); (M.T.)
- Correspondence:
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Kammermeier M, Paulus M. Maternal emotional availability relates to two-year-olds’ behavior in a challenging cooperative interaction. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 67:101696. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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12
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Ribaudo J, Lawler JM, Jester JM, Riggs J, Erickson NL, Stacks AM, Brophy-Herb H, Muzik M, Rosenblum KL. Maternal History of Adverse Experiences and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Impact Toddlers’ Early Socioemotional Wellbeing: The Benefits of Infant Mental Health-Home Visiting. Front Psychol 2022; 12:792989. [PMID: 35111107 PMCID: PMC8802330 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.792989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe present study examined the efficacy of the Michigan Model of Infant Mental Health-Home Visiting (IMH-HV) infant mental health treatment to promote the socioemotional wellbeing of infants and young children. Science illuminates the role of parental “co-regulation” of infant emotion as a pathway to young children’s capacity for self-regulation. The synchrony of parent–infant interaction begins to shape the infant’s own nascent regulatory capacities. Parents with a history of childhood adversity, such as maltreatment or witnessing family violence, and who struggle with symptoms of post-traumatic stress may have greater challenges in co-regulating their infant, thus increasing the risk of their children exhibiting social and emotional problems such as anxiety, aggression, and depression. Early intervention that targets the infant–parent relationship may help buffer the effect of parental risk on child outcomes.MethodsParticipants were 58 mother–infant/toddler dyads enrolled in a longitudinal randomized control trial testing the efficacy of the relationship-based IMH-HV treatment model. Families were eligible based on child age (<24 months at enrollment) and endorsement of at least two of four socio-demographic factors commonly endorsed in community mental health settings: elevated depression symptoms, three or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) parenting stress, and/or child behavior or development concerns. This study included dyads whose children were born at the time of study enrollment and completed 12-month post-baseline follow-up visits. Parents reported on their own history of ACEs and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, as well as their toddler’s socioemotional development (e.g., empathy, prosocial skills, aggression, anxiety, prolonged tantrums).ResultsMaternal ACEs predicted more toddler emotional problems through their effect on maternal PTSD symptoms. Parents who received IMH-HV treatment reported more positive toddler socioemotional wellbeing at follow-up relative to the control condition. The most positive socioemotional outcomes were for toddlers of mothers with low to moderate PTSD symptoms who received IMH-HV treatment.ConclusionResults indicate the efficacy of IMH-HV services in promoting more optimal child socioemotional wellbeing even when mothers reported mild to moderate PTSD symptoms. Results also highlight the need to assess parental trauma when infants and young children present with socioemotional difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Ribaudo
- School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- School of Social Work, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Julie Ribaudo,
| | - Jamie M. Lawler
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, United States
| | - Jennifer M. Jester
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Jessica Riggs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Nora L. Erickson
- Mother Baby Program, Department of Psychiatry, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Ann M. Stacks
- Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Holly Brophy-Herb
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Maria Muzik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Katherine L. Rosenblum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Parental Reflective Functioning as a Moderator for the Relationship Between Maternal Depression and Child Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2022; 53:1319-1329. [PMID: 34173125 PMCID: PMC8231079 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-021-01214-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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.
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