Maternal mind‐mindedness: relations with maternal–fetal attachment and stability in the first two years of life: findings from an australian prospective study

This study examined whether maternal–fetal attachment predicted maternal mind‐mindedness, whether there was continuity in mind‐mindedness over the first 2 postnatal years, and concordance for the two approaches to measurement. One hundred fifty women completed a questionnaire measure of maternal–fetal attachment in the third trimester of pregnancy and participated in home visits to assess maternal mind‐mindedness when their infants were 7 months and 19 months of age. Path analysis showed that maternal–fetal attachment predicted indices of maternal mind‐mindedness at 7 and 19 months; mothers who made more mind‐related comments during play at 7 months also did so at 19 months, and mothers who made more mind‐related comments during play at 19 months also used more mental state words when describing their child. Results suggest that a proclivity to mind‐mindedness may be a caregiver characteristic that is present prior to birth and stable over time. RESUMEN La mentalidad orientada hacia el pensamiento mental capta la sintonía de quien presta cuidado para con los estados mentales de su infante. El diseño es evaluado a través de análisis del lenguaje materno durante la interacción o a partir del uso materno de palabras sobre estado mental cuando se le invita a describir a su niño. Este estudio examina si la afectividad materna hacia el feto predijo la mentalidad de la madre orientada hacia el pensamiento mental, si hubo continuidad en tal mentalidad duran...
Source: Infant Mental Health Journal - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: ARTICLE Source Type: research