Structure of reflective functioning and adult attachment scales: overlap and distinctions

ABSTRACT

This investigation examined the structure of reflective functioning (RF) – an understanding of the links between mental states and behaviors – and adult attachment scales. Both RF and traditional adult attachment scales were coded based on 194 prebirth Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI). Correlational and factor analyses indicated considerable overlap between RF and traditional AAI coding. Exploratory factor analyses of RF and AAI state-of-mind scales indicated that RF loaded, along with coherence of mind, on the primary factor distinguishing between individuals categorized as secure and dismissing. These findings indicate substantial overlap between RF and AAI scales; however, the magnitude of the correlations between these scales indicates that they are not redundant.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflective functioning
• adult attachment
• factor analysis
• mentalization

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all of the participants in this study and to Glenn Roisman for his helpful comments on previous drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Of the 11 scales included in the exploratory factor analysis, nine were uncorrelated between male and female partners. Idealization of mother and unresolved loss were correlated between partners, r(94) = .26, p < .05, and r(82) = .34, p < .005, respectively.

2. Given the extremely high correlation between coherence of mind and coherence of transcript, r(194) = .99, the current investigation used coherence of mind, but not coherence of transcript, in all analyses. Thus, in this manuscript, the term coherence will be used to indicate coherence of mind.