Examining a Complex Model Linking Maternal Reflective Functioning, Maternal Meta-Emotion Philosophies, and Child Emotion Regulation

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.

Parental Meta-Emotion Philosophy: A Review of the Past Decade of Research

“…In a two-part study conducted with children, adolescents and their parents found that the positive relationship between family stress (as measured by the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale) and youth internalizing symptoms (as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) was moderated by parental emotion coaching behaviors (as measured by the Maternal Emotional Styles Questionnaire) (Lobo et al, 2021). In a recent study, Maternal Meta-Emotion Philosophy was found to be a moderating variable between the relationship of Maternal Reflective Function (a mother's ability to understand her child's underlying thoughts, feelings, and mental states that fuel their behavior) and child emotion regulation (an aspect of child emotional competence (Shao et al, 2023). Effective child emotion regulation (one of the dimensions of child emotional competence) has been associated with few- The results from these studies indicate that even when families are experiencing difficult circumstances or when mothers are struggling to understand their children's emotions, (specifically emotion coaching) can act as a protective factor, encouraging the development of child emotion regulation.…”