An Initial Examination of the Association of Reflective Functioning to Parenting of Fathers

Bibliographic Data

ID11276166
AuthorsCarla S Stover (0000-0002-6767-5307, University of South Florida, corresponding author), Andrew Kiselica (University of South Florida), Andrew M Kiselica (0000-0002-9514-0668, University of South Florida)
Year2014
Volume35
Issue5
Pages452-461
Publication date2014-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInfant Mental Health Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-9641 • E-ISSN: 1097-0355
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/imhj.21459
PMID25798495
OpenAlexW2163061510
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited56

Parental reflective functioning (RF) is a parent's capacity to understand and take into account the mental states of their children. Research on RF is somewhat scarce and has focused primarily on mothers. Mothers high in RF have improved parent–child relationships in terms of attachment, sensitivity, and more balanced mental representations of their children, in addition to displaying more caregiving behaviors than do those low in this characteristic. Moreover, better maternal RF appears to be a key to the parenting success of substance‐abusing mothers and predicts changes in the caregiving behaviors of these mothers following attachment‐based interventions. Research on RF in fathers, on the other hand, has been limited to a few studies. This research has suggested that about half of new fathers have deficits in RF, but did not assess predictors of RF or measure RF in relation to parenting. The present study sought to present an initial exploration of the association of RF to the parenting of fathers in a sample of 79 fathers, approximately half with substance‐abuse and violence problems and half without. Fathers were administered the Parent Developmental Interview‐Revised (A. Slade, J.L. Aber, I. Bresgi, B. Berger, & M. Kaplan, ) and self‐report measures of parenting. Results suggested that less education and increased drug use are associated with lower RF. RF was not predictive of self‐reported parenting behaviors in this sample. Although RF may vary with substance‐abuse level and socioeconomic status among men and women, these results indicate that RF may be less associated with parenting behaviors of fathers. However, further research in this area is needed

Attachment measures · Attachment theory · Developmental psychology · Maternal sensitivity · Parenting skills · Parenting styles · Population · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychotherapist · Socioeconomic status · Substance abuse · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Child Welfare and Adoption · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology