Recent Innovations in Psychology

Recent Innovations in Psychology

Maternal Reflective Functioning and Child Emotional Expression in Trauma Situations: The Mediating Role of the Mother-Child Relationship

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Fatemeh Shahamat Dehsorkh 1
Marjan Hashemi Yazdi 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran.
2 MSc. of General Psychology, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran
10.22034/rip.2024.193937
Abstract
Children's responses to trauma depend on their psychological capacities. Given the importance of maternal reflective functioning in the formation of these psychological capacities, this research aims to investigate the mediating role of the mother-child relationship in the relationship between maternal reflective functioning and child emotional expression in trauma conditions. For this descriptive study, 74 mothers with children aged 4-8 years completed the Mother-Child Relationship Evaluation (MCRE) and the Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire (PRFQ) during the Covid-19 pandemic. To measure the children's emotional expression, the components of their drawings (depression, anxiety and excitability) were used. The results showed that despite the fit of the model, none of the indirect effects were significant (P>0.05). Direct effects showed that maternal prementalization was significantly related to the dysfunctional mother-child relationship and the child's emotional expression. In addition, interest and curiosity about the child's mental state were also related to the dysfunctional mother-child relationship (P<0.05). It seems that the mother's reflective functioning plays an important role in predicting the child's emotional expression in trauma situations. However, more research is needed to explain these relationships.
Keywords
trauma
mother-child relationship
maternal reflective functioning
children&‌‌rsquo
drawing

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 11 March 2024
  • Revise Date 03 April 2024
  • Accept Date 07 April 2024
  • First Publish Date 07 April 2024