“I Try to Think Behind My Child’s Cry”: Preparation for Separation Experiences in the Light of Parental Mentalization

Figures & data

Table 1. Study participants selection and data collection.

Participants	Selection method	Data collection method
Total population, n = 162 parents who received the study invitation	Parents who met the inclusion criteria received the study invitation from the city’s ECEC coordinators or nurses from the cost-free primary health care services between 2019 and 2020	Study invitation by e-mail
Participants of the study, n = 21 parents (18 mothers and 3 fathers) who completed the study procedure Spouses of parents who completed the study procedure, n = 39	Parents who were willing to participate in the current study contacted the main author by e-mail or phone call	Questionnaires: − sociodemographic background − BDI 21 Interviews: − semi-structured interview on parental orientation for the upcoming transitional phase from homecare to ECEC − Parent Development Interview (PDI) Questionnaires: − sociodemographic background − BDI 21

Table 2. Participants’ sociodemographic characteristics.

	Toddlers Mean (SD) [range]	Mothers Mean [range]	Fathers Mean [range]	All Parents n (%)
Age, years	1.2 (3.2) [10–24], n = 21	33.3 [28–42], n = 18	32.3 [29–37], n = 3
Sex	10 girls 11 boys
First-time parents				8 (38%)
Siblings				13 (62%)
Level of education				Basic education, 0% High school, 0% Vocational 2nd degree, 2 (10%) Vocational 3rd degree, 10 (48%) Academic, 9 (43%)
Marital status				Married, 10 (48%) Cohabiting, 8 (38%) Single, 2 (9%) Divorced, 1 (5%)
PDI-RF, mean (SD) [range]				4.6 (1.2) [3–7]
BDI-II mean (SD) [range]				7.5 (8.4) [0–33]

Table 3. Procedure for the phenomenographic analysis.

Analysis phase	Measure	Structure of the analysis: (a) Meaning units (b) Subcategories (b) Category of description (c) Outcome space
1. Round of readings: familiarizing with the data	− The transcribed data consisted of 211 pages (Word document) − Each interview question was read individually − Pseudonymizing the data: All details referring to personal data were removed (names, localities, and kindergartens) − Each parent and family member were assigned numerical codes − The pseudonymized and coded data were exported to NVivo 12 Plus, forming an individual case for each parent − Not yet possible to have a broad understanding of the data	(a) Meaning units made as preliminary entries (b) Subcategories not formed (c) Category of description not formed (d) Outcome space not formed
2. Round of readings: emerging categories	− Quotes related to Research Questions (RQ) 1 and 2 were selected as meaning units − Data contents not relevant to RQ1 and RQ2 were excluded (e.g., homecare arrangements during infancy and practical everyday arrangements) − Meaning units were identified and grouped after comparing and contrasting them to identify similarities and differences − The grouped meaning units formed the initial subcategories − The annotations written about each selected meaning unit consisted of the reason why it was chosen as a meaning unit, and all annotations were documented in the NVivo program as a separate file − The criteria for each subcategory and category of description were documented in the metadata of the coding system in the NVivo program (later codebook)	The first preliminary coding scheme (later, the codebook) contained the following: (a) Meaning units, n = 616 (b) Subcategories, n = 21 (c) Category of description, n = 7 (d) Outcome space not formed
3. Round of readings: refining categories	− The differences and similarities of the meaning units were captured in terms of the subcategories − The categories of description were created on the basis of the identifying themes of variation that determined the relations and hierarchies between the subcategories − Four of the earlier categories of description were transposed as subcategories after clarifying the hierarchy of the analysis − The relevant meaning units were reviewed regarding RQ1 and RQ2, and some were rejected (e.g., the content of the information received from ECEC). − A codebook was made that included the categories of description, subcategories, and meaning units. The codebook consisted of code names, the description and the criteria of each code, the numbers of meaning units, and the coded parents under each code − A mind map was made on the basis of the codebook and was used as the initial outcome space, which was reviewed by three coauthors.	The codebook (later, the revised codebook) contained the following: (a) Meaning units, n = 551 (b) Subcategories, n = 15 (c) Category of description, n = 3 (d) Outcome space not formed
4. Constructing relationships among categories	− The subcategories were compared with each other to find differences and similarities between them, and some were combined (e.g., the toddler’s emotions and behaviors during the separation situation were combined as one subcategory, when originally they were separate, containing overlapping) − The consistency between the original meaning units and the codes was constantly evaluated to minimize the influence of the authors’ interpretations by updating the annotation file − The relations and hierarchy between the categories of description 1–3 were examined critically − Decision to rename the third category of description focusing on answering RQ2 − The meaning units of the third category of description were reviewed and discussed by two coauthors, and three of them were rejected	The revised codebook (later, the outcome space) contained the following: (a) Meaning units, n = 480 (b) Subcategories, n = 13 (c) Category of description, n = 3 (d) The initial form of the outcome space
5. Constructing the outcome space	− The outcome space was described on a more abstract level, and critical aspects enabling transition between the categories were clarified − The critical aspects allowed the logical relationships between the categories to be made explicit − The meaning units were selected and carefully examined to ensure that the intended meanings of the parent were conveyed and that they clarified the reported conceptions − All changes and procedures for the data during analysis phases 1–5 were documented in a research diary in the NVivo program − The meaning units were used in the manuscripts of this study to illustrate each theme variation in the categories of description − The translations of the meaning units chosen for this manuscript were reviewed by one coauthor and translated (back-translated)	The final outcome space contained the following: (a) Meaning unit, n = 480 (b) Subcategories, n = 10 (c) Category of description, n = 3 (d) The outcome space was constructed into its final form (Figure 1)

Table 4. Preparation for forthcoming separation experiences during the transition phase from homecare to ECEC in light of parental mentalization (the outcome space).

A) Category of Description: Parent’s own experiences and orientation for the forthcoming phase	B) Category of Description: Parent’s representation of the toddler’s forthcoming experiences	C) Category of Description: Indicators of mentalization
1. Childhood experiences of separation and transition *21/53	1. Emotions and behavior in the separation situation 20/53	Parental mentalization indicators occurring in the meaning units of the A and B categories of description 21/103 (Table 5)
2. Separation experiences as a parent 21/41	2. Developmental needs 16/31
3. Relating to the transition phase (a) Hopeful, 13/22 (b) Apprehensive, 14/22 (c) Tentative, 14/29 (d) Pragmatic, 19/45	3. Trust in adults 20/38
4. Justifications for the time of the transition 21/57	4. Understanding of the forthcoming change 14/20
5. Relationships between the parent and ECEC professional 20/59
6. Change in the parent-child relationship 7/10

*The numbers after each subcategory refer to the number of cases (parents) and the number of meaning units (quote) in the data.

Table 5. Indicators of parental mentalization occurring in the A and B categories of description.

The name and number of the sub-category	Example of parents’ responses	Percentage of the amount of the mentalization indicator in the subcategory
Tentative relating to the transition phase (A3.c)	“I have like two different kinds of thoughts, maybe she clings to me and cries, but then again, I’ve thought that she’s kind of brave also after all … In a way, after we have visited together in there [early education center], she could think that we came here again and I [mother] can leave now.” (2101)	82%
Emotions and behavior in the separation situation (B1.)	“I don’t know if this is the case. Of course, this is my imagination that she could feel rejected at that moment and as if she’s abandoned or something like that. That she [the mother] just went somewhere. Maybe that’s what I think. Perhaps she is not so scared, but she may have this abandoned feeling. That’s such a strong word, but that’s what I think about it.” (1601)	69%
Understanding the forthcoming change (B4.)	“What I’m thinking about the most, is that of course he can’t have a sense of time yet. Is it going to be maybe miserable for him to wait, when he doesn’t even know how long the day is there [in the early education center].” (1401)	52%
Childhood experiences on separation and the transition phase (A1.)	“In a way, the fact that I have been at home with my mother could make a difference, but on the other hand in our family it was a negative thing, that I was at home with my mother. There would have been less damage if I had been in day care. Well, maybe in that sense it has influenced me in a way that I don’t have the same terribly large threshold to take my child to an early education center, because I know that it can also be a protective thing for him.” (1301)	44%
Apprehensive relating to the transition phase (A3.b)	“I’m definitely the one who cries hard for half an hour after that [separation]. I know that, in the situation I should try to calm myself and be like everything will be fine and Mom will come pick you up in the afternoon. I hope I make it outside the door before it starts … I also understand that of course it scares him when he doesn’t know where he’s going and it’s foreign and new and strange to him. This might be the way that I would describe that situation to myself.” (1201)	39%
Change in the parent-child relationship (A6.)	“I think it will be in some way a rewarding experience for my child, that there is something else and there is trust in his parents, that he can be apart from us for a while, but then we always come back.” (0101)	34%
Separation experiences as a parent (A2.)	“If I’ve been late leaving the house and I’ve lost my keys, then I’m probably in a bit of a hurry… Then of course she easily takes the stress out of the atmosphere and then she can start crying that she wants Mom to stay at home.” (0901)	25%
Hopeful relating to the transition phase (A3.a)	“Somehow, I trust that he can handle it, that I’m leaving him. In this way it’s easier for me to leave when it looks like I’m feeling happy, and this tells him that there is nothing to worry about here.” (1401)	21%
Relationships between parent and ECEC professionals (A5.)	“I understood somehow that it was their responsibility to be with him [adjustment day for the child and the parent together]. But I still tried to be so that I am next to him, but not too close, so that he can also explore that place himself and the other children. (0501)	18%
Trust in adults (B3.)	“I feel that when she gets to know the adults and understands in a way that those adults are the ones whom to look to for protection, whom she can lean on … ” (1301)	15%
Pragmatic relating to the transition phase (A3.d)	“We thought that because he has slept with it here, that it might bring security to him. So yeah, maybe we’ll take the sleeping toy and the pacifier there [early education center].” (0501)	11%
Justification for the timeof transition (A4.)	“I’ve had an internal battle, because I feel like I’d still like to be at home with her, that I don’t want to do it yet for her, but then again I notice that I need my own community [study community] very much … This is how I stay in better shape with myself, so that I can be a better mother to her.” (2021)	10%
Developmental needs (B2.)	“Because he’s still so small… I wish they’d have time to sit down and take him to their lap, because he will practically spend most of his time there [early education center] on those weekdays. And I wish that the skills would be practiced according somehow to the abilities of a small child like him.” (0401)	7%

Figure 1. Category of description a (parent’s own experiences and orientation for the transition phase).

Figure 2. Category of description B (parent’s representation of the child’s forthcoming experiences).