| This study examined the relationship between maternal reflective functioning (maternal RF) and psychosocial functioning for children with learning and behavioral disorders (LBD). Because many, but not all, children with LBD experience social and emotional difficulties concurrent with learning, language and behavioral impairments, this project aimed to identify within-group differences to highlight protective factors and inform treatment. The study predicted that mothers' capacity to mentalize about their child, the parent-child relationship, themselves as parents, and their child's learning and behavioral disorders (RF-LBD) would be associated with improved psychosocial functioning in their child.;The study subjects, 18 mother-son dyads, were part of a larger project, investigating attention in children with language impairments. The child participants were diagnosed with or at risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a Reading Disorder, or a Language Impairment. The Parent Development Interview was modified for use with parents of learning disabled children to determine maternal RF and RF-LBD. Mothers also completed measures assessing children's social skills, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and problem behaviors.;Results revealed that maternal RF was significantly positively associated with higher social skills in children with LBD. A relationship was not found between maternal RF and measures of children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms and problem behaviors. Moreover, the direction of effects suggested negative, but non-significant correlations between maternal RF and these variables, indicating that mothers with higher RF may actually report higher levels of negative symptoms and behaviors in their LBD children. These results suggest that low RF mothers may not be able to fully attune to and acknowledge their children's more problematic symptoms and behaviors. Significant relationships were not identified between RF-LBD and measures of children's psychosocial functioning implying that a mother's overall mentalizing capacity may have a stronger effect on the developing child, and that RF-LBD is just one aspect of this larger entity. Also, the stress of having a child with an LBD may make it more difficult for the parent to demonstrate stable RF in relation to her child's learning and behavioral problems. These results were discussed in terms of their implications for attachment and mentalization theory and research, and clinical interventions. |
