Parenting and adolescent adjustment: The role of parental reflective function

Abstract

Reflective function (RF) is the capacity to reflect on one’s own mental experiences and those of others. This study examined the relationship between parental RF and adolescent adjustment. One hundred and five adolescents, aged 14–18, and their mothers and fathers were interviewed and completed questionnaires during home visits. We measured parental RF, aspects of parenting behavior, and adolescent outcomes. We found that parental RF correlated with adolescent RF and social competence. Unexpectedly, it also correlated with internalizing problems and less positive self‐perception. In addition, parental RF, particularly paternal RF, interacted with aspects of parenting behavior. In the presence of higher levels of parental RF, these behavioral aspects were associated with more positive adolescent outcomes. We conclude that (a) parental RF is associated with both desirable outcomes and possible costs and (b) parental RF, particularly paternal RF, is a significant moderator of the associations between parenting behaviors and adolescent outcomes.

Mentalization and dissociation in the context of trauma: Implications for child psychopathology

“…In early childhood, understanding of self is further elaborated in interactions where the child can confide and reflect on his experience with a caregiver (Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist, & Target, 2002). In line with this, parental RF has been shown to predict the development of emotional understanding and mentalization of children (Steele, Steele, Croft, & Fonagy, 1999;Ensink et al, 2015), as well as RF in adolescence (Benbassat & Priel, 2012).…”

The Significance of Parental Reflective Function in the Adjustment of Young Adults

“…We hypothesized that parental reflective function will continue to be associated with the interpersonal/social domain and with higher reflective capacities, and, specifically, with young adults' capacity for establishing romantic relations and with higher levels of self-descriptions. We also hypothesized that, similar to the findings of the previous study (Benbassat and Priel 2012), parental reflective function would be associated with increased internalizing problems and less positive self-perception among young adults, and that young adult outcomes would be more strongly associated with paternal than with maternal reflective function.…”

“…Parental reflective function was also associated with more internalizing problems and less positive self-perception among adolescents, and paternal reflective function and behavior were more strongly associated with adolescent outcomes than maternal reflective function and behavior (Benbassat and Priel 2012).…”

“…Recently, it has been reported that parental reflective function, but not parenting behavior, was associated with higher levels of adolescents' social competence, and that parenting behavior, but not parental reflective function, was linked to lower levels of adolescents' externalizing problems (Benbassat and Priel 2012). Parental reflective function was also associated with more internalizing problems and less positive self-perception among adolescents, and paternal reflective function and behavior were more strongly associated with adolescent outcomes than maternal reflective function and behavior (Benbassat and Priel 2012).…”

“…It is an extension of a previous study that examined the significance of parental reflective function for adolescent adjustment (Benbassat and Priel 2012). Specifically, we compared the effects of mothers' and fathers' reflective function and parenting behavior, measured during adolescence, on young adults' adjustment.…”