The Relationship between Dimensions of Mother's Attachment and Mother's Reflective Functioning with Preschool Aggression: The Mediating Role of Child Abuse Potential

Subject Areas : روان درمانگری

Fateme Talebian Sharif ¹ , seyed Amir Aminyazdi ² , Maryam Bordbar ³

1 - MA in Educational Psychology, Department of educational and counseling psychology, Faculty of educational sciences and psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 - Professor, Department of educational and counseling psychology, Faculty of educational sciences and psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of educational and counseling psychology, Faculty of educational sciences and psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Received: 2023-10-07 Accepted : 2023-10-07 Published : 2023-10-07

Keywords: aggression, Preschool Children, attachment, Child abuse potential, mother’s reflective functioning,

Abstract :

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of child abuse potential in the relationship between dimensions of mother’s attachment and mother’s reflective functioning with preschool aggression. This study examined the relationships of the variables as correlation research by path analysis method. The statistical population of the research included mothers with preschool children (4 to 6 years) in Mashhad. For this purpose, 337 mothers were selected through convenient sampling and were asked to fill the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Luyten, Mayes, Nijssens & Fonagy, 2017), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins,1996), the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (Ondersma, Chaffin, Mullins & LeBreton, 2005) and the parent form of Preschool Aggression Scale (Vahedi, Fathiazar, Hosseini nasab & Moghadam, 2008) which were available online. The results of the path analysis, which confirmed the model fit, showed that attachment anx- iety has indirect effects on aggression through the path of pre-mentalization-child abuse potential. The indirect effects of attachment anxiety on preschool aggression through the certainty about mental states and curiosity in the mental states were also significant. Also, the only indirect effect of attachment avoidance on aggression was through child abuse potential. The research findings indicate the role of attachment and reflective functioning in identifying potentials related to mothers’ abuse potential and preschool aggression.

References:


Ansari, S., Farahbakhsh, K., & Naeimi, E. The Comparison between parent’s knowledge with and without a college education about the types of child abuse. (2020). Coun- seling Researches, 18 (72), 30- 65. [In Persian].
Asgarizadeh, A., Pakdaman, S., Hunjani, M., & Ghan- bari,S.(2023).Iranianadaptationoftherevisedadult attachment scale: Validity and reliability in the general population. Applied Psychology. Advance online pub- lication. [In Persian].
Auslander, W., Sterzing, P., Threlfall, J., Gerke, D., & Ed- mond, T. (2016). Childhood abuse and aggression in
ent-infant dyad and the construction of the subjective self. Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Dis- ciplines, 48(3-4), 288–328.
Freer, B., Sprang, G., Katz, D., Belle, C., & Sprang, K. (2017). The Impact of child abuse potential on adap- tive functioning: Early identification of risk. Family Violence, 32(2), 189-196.
Frolli, A., Cavallaro, A., Oduro, S., Bosco, A., Lombardi, A., Di Carmine, F., & Ricci, M. C. (2021). Ddaa and maternal reflective functions. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psycho- logical Issues. Advance online publication.
Goudarzi, Z. (2020). The mediating role of emotion regu- lation between maternal reflective functioning and chil- dren’s internalizing and externalizing problems. MA dissertation, Shahid Beheshti University. [In Persian].
Howard, K. (2010). Paternal attachment, parenting beliefs and children’s attachment. Early Child Development and Care, 180(1), 157-171.
Hünefeldt, T., Laghi, F., Ortu, F., & Belardinelli, M. O. (2013). The relationship between ‘theory of mind’ and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in Italian adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 36(3), 613–621.
Rosso, AM. (2022). When Parents Fail to Mind the Child: Lower Mentalizing in Parents Who Maltreat. Their Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 853343.
Kazemeini, T., Sepehri Shamloo, Z., Mashhadi, A., & Moddares Gharavi, M. (2018). Reflective functioning factors in parents of children with separation annxiety disorder: A Qualitative reaserch. Child Mental Health, 5(3), 181- 192. [In Persian].
Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Lo, C., Chan, K. L., & Ip, P. (2019). Insecure adult attach- ment and child maltreatment: A meta-analysis. Trau- ma, Violence & Abuse, 20(5), 706–719.
Luyten, P., Mayes, L. C., Nijssens, L., & Fonagy, P. (2017). The parental reflective functioning question- naire: Development and preliminary validation. Plos One, 12(5), e0176218.
Luyten, P., Nijssens, L., Fonagy, P. (2017). Parental reflective functioning: theory, research, and clinical applications, The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 70(1), 174-199.
adolescent girls involved in child welfare: The role of depression and posttraumatic stress. Child & Adoles- cent Trauma, 9(4), 1–10.
Belsky J. (1993). Etiology of child maltreatment: A devel- opmental-ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin, .434–413 ,)3( 114
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Separation anxi- ety and anger. New York: Basic Books.
Collins, N. L. (1996). Working models of attachment: Implications for explanation, emotion, and behavior. Personality and Social Psychology, 71(4), 810–832.
Collins, N. L., & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment, work- ing models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Personality and Social Psychology, 58(4), 644–663.
Del Vecchio, T., Erlanger, A. C.E., & Slep, A. M. S. (2012). Theories of child abuse. In M. A. Fine & F. D. Fin- cham (Eds.), Handbook of family theories: A Content based approach (pp. 208- 227) New York: Routledge.
Dittrich, K., Boedeker, K., Kluczniok, D., Jaite, C., Hin- di Attar, C., Fuehrer, D., Herpertz, S. C., Brunner, R., Winter, S. M., Heinz, A., Roepke, S., Heim, C., & Bermpohl, F. (2018). Child abuse potential in moth- ers with early life maltreatment, borderline personality disorder and depression. The British Journal of Psy- chiatry: Mental Science, 213(1), 412–418.
Ensink, K., Bégin, M., Normandin, L., & Fonagy, P. (2017). Parental reflective functioning as a moderator of child internalizing difficulties in the context of child sexual abuse. Psychiatry Research, 257, 361–366.
Espinosa, A., Ruglass, L. M., Dambreville, N., Shevory- kin, A., Nicholson, R., & Sykes, K. M. (2017). Cor- relates of child abuse potential among African Amer- ican and Latina mothers: A developmental-ecological perspective. Child Abuse & Neglect, 70, 222–230.
Fathi, M., Aminyazdi, S. A., Kareshki, h., & Ahanchian, H. (2020). Investigating Psychometric Properties of Paren- tal Reflective Functioning Questioner (PRFQ). Funda- mentals of Mental Health, 22 (5), 301- 310. [In Persian].
Feeney, J. A. (2006). Parental attachment and conflict be-
havior: Implications for offspring’s attachment, loneli-
ness, and relationship satisfaction. Personal Relation-
ships, 13(1), 19–36. 398
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., & Target, M. (2007). The par-
tween reflective functioning and parent–child relationship quality. Child and Family Studies, 25(7), 2164–2177.
Rutherford, H. J., Booth, C. R., Luyten, P., Bridgett, D. J., & Mayes, L. C. (2015). Investigating the association between parental reflective functioning and distress tolerance in motherhood. Infant Behavior & Develop- ment, 40, 54–63.
Rutherford, H. J., Goldberg, B., Luyten, P., Bridgett, D. J., & Mayes, L. C. (2013). Parental reflective functioning is associated with tolerance of infant distress but not general distress: evidence for a specific relationship using a simulated baby paradigm. Infant Behavior & Development, 36(4), 635–641.
Sadeghzadeh, M., Behzadi, F., & Khormaei, F. (2020). Mother’s patience components and child abuse potential: The Mediation role of emotional dysregulation. Devel- opmental Psychology, 16(63), 311-320. [In Persian].
Salo, S.J., Pajulo, M., Vinzce, L. et a (2021). Parent re- lationship satisfaction and reflective functioning as predictors of emotional availability and infant behav- ior.Child & Family Studies30,1214–1228.
Scott S. (1998).Aggressive behavior in childhood. British Medi- cal (Clinical Research Edition), 316 (7126), 202–206.
Seyedmousavi, P & Nourimoghadam, S. (2016). Attach- ment and develompental outcomes: The Rol of mental representations in predicting internalazing and exter- nalazing problems in preschool children. Journal of Developmental Pychoolgy: Iranian Psychologists, 12 (47), 251-263. [In Persian].
Smaling, H. J., Huijbregts, S. C., van der Heijden, K. B., Hay, D. F., van Goozen, S. H., & Swaab, H. (2017). Prenatal reflective functioning and development of aggression in infancy: The Roles of maternal intrusiveness and sensitivity. Abnormal Child Psychology, 45(2), 237–248.
Vahedi, S., Fathiazar, S., Hosseini-nasab, S., & Moghad- am, M. (2008). Validity and Reliability of the Aggres- sion Scale for Preschoolers and Assessment of Aggres- sion in Preschool Children in Uromia. Fundamentals of Mental Health, 10 (37), 15- 24. [In Persian].
Walker, C. A., & Davies, J. (2010). A Critical review of the psychometric evidence base of the Child Abuse Poten- tial Inventory. Family Violence, 25 (2), 215–227.
Yoon, S., Tebben, E., & Lee, G. (2017). Child-
Mikulincer M. (1998). Adult attachment style and indi- vidual differences in functional versus dysfunctional experiences of anger. Personality and Social Psychol- ogy, 74(2), 513–524.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2008). Adult attachment and affect regulation. In J. Cassidy, & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 503–531). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2019). Attachment ori- entations and emotion regulation. Current Opinion in Psychology, 25, 6–10.
Milner, J. S. (1986). The Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Manual. (2nd ed.). Webster, NC: Psytec.
Milner, J. S. (1993). Social information processing and physical child abuse. Clinical psychology Review, .275-294 ,13
Miragoli, S., Milani, L., Di Blasio, P., & Camisasca, E. (2020). Difficulties in emotion regulation in child abuse potential: Gender differences in parents. Child Abuse & Neglect,106, 104529.
Nijssens, L., Bleys, D., Casalin, S., Vliegen, N., & Luyt- en, P. (2018). Parental attachment dimensions and parenting stress: The mediating role of parental re- flective functioning. Child and Family Studies, 27(6), .2036–2025
Nijssens, L., Vliegen, N., & Luyten, P. (2020). The me- diating role of parental reflective functioning in child social–emotional development. Child and Family Studies, 29(8), 2342–2354.
Ondersma, S. J., Chaffin, M. J., Mullins, S. M., & LeBre- ton, J. M. (2005). A Brief form of the child abuse po- tential inventory: Development and validation. Clini- cal Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34(2), 301–311.
Ran, G., Zhang, Q., Zhang, Q., Li, J., & Chen J. (2022). The Association between child abuse and aggressive behavior: A Three-level meta-analysis. Trauma Vio- lence Abuse, Advnce online publication.
Rodriguez, C. M., & Tucker, M. C. (2011). Behind the cy- cle of violence, beyond abuse history: a brief report on the association of parental attachment to physical child abuse potential. Violence and Victims, 26(2), 246–256.
Rostad, W.L., & Whitaker, D.J. (2016) The Association be-..
ment and ecological protective factors. Children and hood aggression among child welfare involved chil- Youth Services Review, 81, 72- 80. dren: The interplay between the type of child maltreat-