The protective role of mentalizing: Reflective functioning as a mediator between child maltreatment,psychopathology and parental attitude in expecting parents |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland;2. FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 3, 20014, Finland;3. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland;4. Unit of Adolescent Psychiatry, Satakunta Hospital District, Pori, Finland;1. Asklepios Clinic Tiefenbrunn, 37124, Rosdorf, Germany;2. Alpen-Adria-Universität, Institute for Psychology, Department for Applied Psychology and Methods Research, Universitaetsstraße 65-67, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria;3. University Hospital Heidelberg, Institute for Psychosocial Prevention, Bergheimerstr. 54, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundChildhood maltreatment impacts parenting and has intergenerational consequences. It is therefore crucial to identify clinically responsive resilience-promoting factors in pregnant women and expecting men with history of childhood maltreatment. Mentalization, or reflective functioning, appears as a promising concept to understand risk and resilience in the face of childhood maltreatment.ObjectiveThis study evaluated the multivariate relationship between exposure to childhood maltreatment, reflective functioning, psychological symptoms and parental attitude in expecting parents.MethodsTwo hundred and thirty-five pregnant women and 66 expecting fathers completed self-report assessment measures of childhood trauma, reflective functioning, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, parental sense of competence and antenatal attachment. Twenty-eight percent (n = 85) of the community sample reported personal histories of childhood maltreatment.ResultsStructural equation modeling indicated that reflective functioning (a) partially mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms during pregnancy and (b) independently predicted participants’ perception of parental competence and psychological investment toward the unborn child.ConclusionOverall, this study provides empirical evidence of the protective role of reflective functioning during the prenatal period in parents with histories of childhood maltreatment. |
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| Keywords: | Child maltreatment Reflective function Pregnancy Mental health Antenatal attachment |
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