Maternal reflective functioning, attachment, and the transmission gap: A preliminary study

Abstract The notion that maternal reflective functioning, namely the mother's capacity to hold her baby and his mental states in mind, plays a vital role in the intergenerational transmission of attachment is investigated (Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist, & Target, 2002 Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E. and Target, M. 2002. Affect regulation, mentalization, and the development of the self, New York: Other Books. [Google Scholar]; Fonagy et al., 1995 Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Steele, H., Leigh, T., Kennedy, R.Mattoon, G. 1995. “Attachment, the reflective self, and borderline states: The predictive specificity of the Adult Attachment Interview and pathological emotional development”. In Attachment Theory: Social, Developmental and Clinical Perspectives, Edited by: Goldberg, S., Muir, R. and Kerr, J. 223–279. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press. [Google Scholar]; Slade, this volume). A parent's capacity to understand the nature and function of her own as well as her child's mental states, thus allowing her to create both a physical and psychological experience of comfort and safety for her child, is proposed. In this study of 40 mothers and their babies, maternal reflective functioning is measured using the Parent Development Interview (PDI; Aber, Slade, Berger, Bresgi, & Kaplan, 1985 Aber, J., Slade, A., Berger, B., Bresgi, I. and Kaplan, M. 1985. The Parent Development Interview, The City University of New York. Unpublished protocol [Google Scholar]), and scored for reflective functioning using an addendum to Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele's (1998 Fonagy, P., Target, M., Steele, H. and Steele, M. 1998. “Reflective Functioning Manual, Version 5.0, for Application to Adult Attachment Interviews.”. London: University College London. [Google Scholar]) reflective functioning scoring manual (Slade, Bernbach, Grienenberger, Levy, & Locker, 2004 Slade, A., Bernbach, E., Grienenberger, J., Levy, D. and Locker, A. 2004. Addendum to Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele reflective functioning scoring manual for use with the Parent Development Interview, New York, NY: The City College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Unpublished Manuscript [Google Scholar]). The relations between maternal reflective functioning and both adult (measured in pregnancy) and infant attachment (measured at 14 months) are examined. The findings indicate that relations between adult attachment and parental reflective functioning are significant, as are relations between parental reflective functioning and infant attachment. A preliminary mediation analysis suggests that parental reflective functioning plays a crucial role in the intergenerational transmission of attachment.