reflective functioning

This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of maternal reflective functioning in relationship between child temperament and externalizing problems. The Method of research was correlation. The statistical population included mothers of 6-8-year-old children in Saveh city in Iran. The research sample encompassed 200 mothers who were selected by convenient sampling. The participants completed the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Luyten, Mayes, Nijssens & Fonagy, 2017), Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001), Preschool Temperament and Character Inventory (Constantino et al, 2002). The data analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression. The findings of this study illuminate positive relationship between pre-mentalizing mode and externalizing problems in children. Furthermore, there was a positive relationship between harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and reward dependence with externalizing problems. moderated the relationship between novelty seeking and externalizing problems. Accordingly, it can be claimed that by increasing the reflective functioning capacity of mothers, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of behavioral problems in early childhood, especially in children with difficult temperament.

The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire in Iranian students. In this descriptive correlational study, a total of 342 participants (265 girls and 77 boys) from second-grade high school students (aged 16-18 years) in Babolsar county in the academic year 1402-1401 were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling and completed the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for Youth (RFQ-Y) by Sharp et al. (2009). Data analysis was conducted using confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient). The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the two-factor structure of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire showed a good model fit. Additionally, in this model, Subscale A has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88, Subscale B has a value of 0.81, and the overall scale has a value of 0.90, indicating adequate reliability. The results of the data analysis showed that the utilized scale possessed satisfactory validity and reliability and could provide an acceptable representation of this construct. Therefore, this scale can be used in various studies to assess mentalization in students.

Various factors are effective in the durability and survival of the family, including the emotional experience of couples with each other, and paying attention to it can provide a basis for improving family structures. The present study sought to answer the question whether the variables of reflective functioning, emotional expression, emotional self-awareness, attention-seeking and dependency to Instagram can predict the emotional experience with the spouse among the married people of Isfahan city.

The current research method was descriptive and correlational. The studied population in this research was all married people of Isfahan city. A sample of 250 people was selected using the available method and then the questionnaires were distributed among the people. The research tools were: Yousefi, ghafarollahi, Golparvar, Kiani emotional experience with the spouse questionnaire, Fonagy and Bateman's reflective function questionnaire, King and Emmons' emotional expression questionnaire, the emotional self-awareness subscale of Bar-on's emotional intelligence questionnaire, a researcher-made attention-seeking questionnaire and Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation and stepwise regression).

The results of this research showed that among the predictor variables, positive emotional expressiveness and dependency to Instagram have the power to predict positive emotional experience with the spouse, and variables of attention-seeking, positive emotional expressiveness and the certainty factor from the reflective functioning variable have the power to predict negative emotional experience with the spouse.

According to the findings of the research, in order to improve positive emotional experiences with the spouse, dependency to Instagram and positive emotional expression should be increased among women, and to reduce negative emotional experiences with the spouse, attention seeking should be reduced and positive emotional expression and certainty should be increased.

This research was conducted with the aim of designing and validating the Mentalization promoting program for parents of a child with type 1 diabetes and investigating its effectiveness on parents' reflective Functioning and emotional-behavioral problems of the child.

A mixed method was used in this research. In the qualitative part, the mentalization problems of 18 children with T1D and 22 of their parents were extracted through the analysis of interviews with the method of transcendental phenomenology, and three general themes,18 main sub-themes and 50 sub-themes were obtained. Then, based on these themes and within the framework of the concepts of mentalization theory, a program to promote the mentalization of parents with a child with type 1 diabetes was designed. After confirming the content validity based on the CVI, with a semi-experimental method and a single-subject design of the type (A-B) with different subjects, 5 parents of children with diabetes who met the criteria for entering the research, were selected with a purposeful sampling method and participated in the program. The effectiveness of this program was assessed in four phases (baseline, during intervention, after intervention and follow-up) using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) and indicators of program goals. Then data was checked based on visual analysis indicators.

The final outcome of this phenomenological study is the extraction of three general themes, including the underlying factors of breakdowns in mentalizing, types of common mentalizing problems, and the consequences of breakdowns in mentalizing which became the basis for design the program to promote the mentalization of parents with a child with type 1 diabetes The results showed that the designed program, while having sufficient validity, was effective in increasing the parents reflective Functioning and reducing the emotional-behavioral problems of the child, and this effectiveness continued in the follow-up phase.

Considering the validity of this program and its effectiveness, it is suggested that this program be widely implemented to help improve the physical and mental health of children with diabetes and their families, and also for children with other chronic diseases should also be adapted.

The main goal of the present study was to determine the relationship between mentalization and grief experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. The moderator role of age and sex was investigated in the relationship between mentalization and the grief experience. For this purpose, 200 Iranian adolescent, adult and middle-aged men and women who had lost a family member or acquaintance during the epidemic period were selected using the available sampling method and completed the grief experience questionnaire (Mehdipour et al., 2009) and the reflective functioning questionnaire (Fonagy et al., 2016). Data analysis was done by calculating Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The results showed a significant positive relationship between RFQc and the grief experience. There was a significant negative relationship between RFQu and the grief experience. The relationship between RFQc and the grief experience, and RFQu and the grief experience didn’t depend on age and sex. According to the results of the research, mentalization during the grief experience can act as a protective factor. It is recommended to use mentalization in designing appropriate interveining approaches during the grief experience.

The purpose of this research is to predict the socio-emotional competence of adolescents based on the reflective capacity of the mother, taking into account the role of the mediator of the family's emotional atmosphere.

The current research is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the research is the students of the second secondary level of the 3rd education district of Qom, who were studying in the academic year 2021-22. Using Cochran's formula, the sample size equal to 363 people was selected based on the multi-stage cluster sampling method. In order to collect data, Zhou et al.'s socio-emotional competence questionnaire (2012), Hillburn's emotional atmosphere questionnaire (1964) and Fonagy et al.'s reflective capacity questionnaire (2016) were used. Data analysis and evaluation of the proposed model was done through structural equation modeling and using SPSS and Lisrel software.

The results showed that the mother's reflective capacity predicts the social-emotional competence of adolescents (β=0.68, P<0.001). Also, based on the findings of this research, the reflective capacity of the mother through the mediating variable of the emotional atmosphere of the family also has a predictive role on the socio-emotional competence of adolescents (β=0.89, P<0.001).

According to the results of the research, higher levels of reflective capacity of mothers expect higher competence of teenagers in the studied age range and vice versa. Examining the reflective capacity of mothers in the form of existing tools and measures and having a picture of it can be useful in holding courses based on their mentalization.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the mediational role of emotion dysregulation in the association between reflective functioning and social trust.

This study was descriptive-correlational and its statistical population included university students across 20 provinces of Iran. Our sample was composed of 441 university students (291 female, 150 male), who were recruited through convenience sampling. All participants completed a battery of self-report measures, including the Social Trust Questionnaire (Saffarinia & Sharif, 1392), Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Fonagy et al., 2016), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Short Form (Kaufman et al., 2016). Descriptive analyses were conducted using SPSS v26, and mediation testing was carried out using PROCESS macro v4.1.

Correlation analyses demonstrated significant associations between all variables (p<.001). The total effect of reflective functioning on social trust was significant, as well as the direct effect of reflective functioning on emotion dysregulation, and the direct effect of emotion dysregulation on social trust (p<.001). When emotion dysregulation was entered as a mediator, the direct effect of reflective functioning on social trust did not remain significant (p>.01), while the indirect effect mediated by emotion dysregulation was significant (CI: -.061 to -.192).

Our findings support the role of self-focused reflective functioning in the development of social mistrust. Unawareness of the mental states of oneself leads to intrapersonal and interpersonal dysregulation of emotions. In turn, belief in the untrustworthiness of others may stem from the projection of internal feelings or emotion dysregulation.

The present study was conducted with the aim of Predicting the emotional regulation of people with cluster B personality disorder traits based on attachment styles and reflective functioning. The research method was a descriptive correlation. The statistical population included the students of Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran branch in the academic year 2021-2022. The sample size was 120 people who were selected by purposive sampling method. The research tools included the adult attachment inventory (AAI) Simpson (1990), Millon clinical multiaxial inventory (MCMI-III) Millon (1994), the reflective functioning questionnaire (RFQ) Fonagy et al. (2016) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) Gross and John (2003). The results of the regression test using the enter method showed that among the research variables, uncertainty (P=0.03 and β=-0.23), secure attachment style (P=0.002 and β=0.27), and avoidant (P=0.002 and β = -0.31) are predictors of emotion regulation. Also, the results showed that the predictor variables are able to predict 0.19 of the variance of the emotion regulation variable in people with traits of cluster B personality disorder. The result of the present study shows that paying attention to attachment styles and reflective performance by psychologists can help to explain emotional regulation in people with traits of cluster B personality disorder.

The results of studies have shown that insecure attachment is related to risky behaviors. But the underlying mechanism of this relationship has not been investigated. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the mediating role of reflective functioning in the relationship between insecure attachment styles and risky behaviors.

This study was a descriptive-correlation research. The studied sample included the students of Tehran. The studied sample included the students of Tehran. Among them, 329 were selected through available sampling. Subjects completed reflective functioning scale, insecure attachment styles, and high-risk behavior questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Spss-24 and AMOS software. The path analysis method was used to analyze the data.

The results showed the direct effect of reflective functioning on risky behaviors. Also, the mediating role of reflective functioning between attachment styles and risky behaviors was significant.

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that insecure attachment along with reflective functioning play an important role in the formation of risky behaviors of students. For this reason, psychotherapeutic interventions are of special importance to prevent the formation of these risky behaviors.

Symptoms of impulsivity, attention deficit, academic and social problems indicate signs of a disorder called attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. With the growing interest in the last two decades to investigate the environmental factors in the etiology of this disorder, the importance of the family field and the parent and child attachment style has been considered; in the meantime, the construction of the reflective functioning (operational definition of metallization) is considered as a part of the attachment. The present study investigates the existing knowledge in the field of attachment style and reflective functioning in people with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and their parents, which is a systematic type of narrative. In this study, the available resources were received until 2020 by searching for the keywords of reflective functioning, metallization, attachment, attention deficit, and hyperactivity, and parenting and were finally reviewed after selection. Studies show that there is a relationship between attachment style and reflective functioning of children and their parents with the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Mental health experts have suggested various programs and interventions enhance parents’ parenting levels. However, the emergence of new issues such as women’s occupation growth, the tendency to have an only child, and the increasing usage of cyberspace have faced families with more problems and made mental disorders more complicated. Moreover, the increased number of divorces, substance abuse, and economic problems expose children to more problems. Therefore, newer and more preventive interventions to enhance families’ well-being seem necessary. This study aims to describe the designing and development process of an innovative intervention based on mentalization theory. This intervention is developed to enhance parents’ mentalization ability and to improve their relationship with their children. The general aim of this intervention is to treat different disorders in childhood and support family memberschr('39') mental health and prevent transmission of destructive parenting models over generations. This study includes two sections. In the first section, by using the Delphi method, theoretical and pivotal basics of the designed therapy were extracted from relevant resources and evaluated. Then, the schema of the new mentalization-based therapeutic approach was designed. In the second section, through randomized controlled trials, the efficacy of this therapeutic approach was measured. In the end, the evaluation procedure of the designed intervention and limitations and suggestions will be discussed.