Improving the parent–child relationship and child adjustment through parental reflective functioning group intervention

ABSTRACT

Parental reflective functioning (PRF) is a core element in the parent–child relationship. This study set out to investigate changes in PRF following the DUET program, a 12-week group intervention program. We proposed that the DUET intervention would enhance maternal reflective capacities, resulting in better mother-child emotional availability, better child self-regulation, and decreased child behavioral problems. Seventy mothers completed the DUET group intervention. Of these mothers, nine mothers were first allocated to the waiting-list group and thereafter were included in an intervention group. PRF was measured using observation (mind-mindedness) and an interview (PDI). Following the intervention, a significant improvement was evident in PRF, in parental beliefs about feeling, and in parental sense of efficacy. In addition, the mother–child interaction was more positive, child behavioral problems decreased, and child self-regulation increased. This improvement remained stable over a period of 6 months. Clinical and future directions of this study are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflective functioning
• mentalization
• parenting
• behavioral problems
• group intervention
• parent-child interaction

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Judge Leon S. Kaplan, who donated funds to Duet center. We would like to thank the group facilitators, the students who collected and coded data, the parents and their children for their ongoing participation in this study and to the two anonymous reviewers whose careful reviews and suggestions resulted in a much-improved paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).