Abstract
Introduction The 'Meaning of the Child' is a new method assessing the psychological meaning all children have for their parents, but
in cases of risk submerge the child's identity (Reder & Duncan 1995). The method anaylses parental discourse using attachment
theory, understood inter-subjectively, from the perspective of both parent and child.
Method The method was developed and tested with a sample of 85 mothers and fathers, 62 were parents being assessed in relation
to alleged child protection risk. The remaining 23 were drawn from US sample of normative mothers. The Parent Development
Interview (PDI: Aber et al. 2003) was used to assess parenting representations and coded for Parental Reflective Functioning (RF:
Slade et al. 2005) and the new Meaning of the Child (MotC) system. The parents were also videoed in a short free-play interaction,
using the CARE-Index (Crittenden 2007), a dyadically constructed assessment of parental sensitivity.
Results A strong relationship was found between the Meaning of the Child level of Sensitivity/Risk, assessed from how parents spoke
about their child, and the nature of their contingent responsiveness assessed using the CARE-Index. Statistically significant
correlations were also found between the level of Unresponsiveness and Control in both the MotC and the CARE-Index. The level of
Sensitivity/Risk in the Meaning of the Child was also related to parental RF. The results provided good evidence for the Meaning of the
Child as a construct, and as an assessment tool to identify and assess the nature of 'at risk' parent-child relationships.
Conclusions In its analysis of parental representations of Caregiving, the MotC integrates an understanding of adult self-protective
defensive processes with the concept of 'inter-subjective dialogues', where parent and child co-construct the meaning of the other. It
therefore has a unique contribution to make to understanding the shaping of parent-child relationships.
in cases of risk submerge the child's identity (Reder & Duncan 1995). The method anaylses parental discourse using attachment
theory, understood inter-subjectively, from the perspective of both parent and child.
Method The method was developed and tested with a sample of 85 mothers and fathers, 62 were parents being assessed in relation
to alleged child protection risk. The remaining 23 were drawn from US sample of normative mothers. The Parent Development
Interview (PDI: Aber et al. 2003) was used to assess parenting representations and coded for Parental Reflective Functioning (RF:
Slade et al. 2005) and the new Meaning of the Child (MotC) system. The parents were also videoed in a short free-play interaction,
using the CARE-Index (Crittenden 2007), a dyadically constructed assessment of parental sensitivity.
Results A strong relationship was found between the Meaning of the Child level of Sensitivity/Risk, assessed from how parents spoke
about their child, and the nature of their contingent responsiveness assessed using the CARE-Index. Statistically significant
correlations were also found between the level of Unresponsiveness and Control in both the MotC and the CARE-Index. The level of
Sensitivity/Risk in the Meaning of the Child was also related to parental RF. The results provided good evidence for the Meaning of the
Child as a construct, and as an assessment tool to identify and assess the nature of 'at risk' parent-child relationships.
Conclusions In its analysis of parental representations of Caregiving, the MotC integrates an understanding of adult self-protective
defensive processes with the concept of 'inter-subjective dialogues', where parent and child co-construct the meaning of the other. It
therefore has a unique contribution to make to understanding the shaping of parent-child relationships.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 14 Jun 2014 |
| Event | World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 14th World Congress - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: 18 Jun 2014 → 18 Jun 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) 14th World Congress |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Edinburgh |
| Period | 18/06/14 → 18/06/14 |
Keywords
- attachment
- Meaning of the Child Interview
- Mentalization
- caregiving
- caregiving styles