Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
07:56

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

10.5K

Triadic interactions, parental reflective functioning, and early social-emotional difficulties

María José León1, Marcia Olhaberry2

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|February 15, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Parental reflective functioning (RF) and family interactions significantly impact child social-emotional development. Mothers' RF influences triadic interactions, which in turn affect children's social-emotional well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Early childhood is crucial for social-emotional development, with family being the primary influence.
  • Parental reflective functioning (RF) is key to understanding and managing children's social-emotional needs.
  • Parental RF may protect children from social-emotional difficulties and impact long-term development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationships between parental RF, mother-father-child triadic interaction quality, and children's social-emotional difficulties.
  • To analyze how parental RF and family dynamics contribute to social-emotional outcomes in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional, correlational study involving 50 mother-father-child triads with children aged 12-36 months.
  • Assessment of sociodemographic background, triadic interaction, parental RF, and children's social-emotional difficulties.

Main Results:

  • Triadic interaction significantly impacted children's social-emotional difficulties, explaining 9% of the variance.
  • Mothers' RF significantly influenced triadic interaction quality, explaining 19% of the variance.
  • Triadic interaction was found to mediate the relationship between mothers' RF and children's social-emotional difficulties.

Conclusions:

  • Family dynamics, particularly triadic interaction and parental reflective functioning, play a vital role in children's social-emotional development.
  • Maternal reflective functioning is a significant predictor of positive triadic interactions, which subsequently benefit children's social-emotional health.

Keywords:
child social-emotional developmentchild social-emotional difficultiesdesarrollo socio-emocional del niñodifficultés socio-émotionnelles de l'enfantdificultades socio-emocionales del niñodéveloppement socio-émotionnel de l'enfantelterliche Reflexionsfähigkeitfamiliäre Interaktionfamily interactionfonctionnement de réflexion parentsfunción reflexiva de los padresinteracción de familiainteracción tríadicainteraction familialeinteraction triadiqueparental reflective functioningsozial-emotionale Entwicklung des Kindessozial-emotionale Schwierigkeiten des Kindestriadic interactiontriadische Interaktionالأداء التأملي للوالدين، التفاعل الثلاثي، التفاعل الأسري، الصعوبات الاجتماعية والعاطفية للأطفال، والنمو الاجتماعي والعاطفي للأطفال三元互动三者相互作用乳幼児の社会・情緒的困難性乳幼児の社会・情緒的発達儿童社交情感发展儿童社交情感障碍家庭互动家族の相互作用育儿反思功能親の内省機能

More Related Videos

Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers09:16

Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers

Published on: March 14, 2018

10.6K
Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos05:32

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Published on: December 7, 2018

9.5K

Related Concept Videos

Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
172
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
353
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings01:29

Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings

Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or...
136
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other01:20

Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other

According to George Herbert Mead, as children progress beyond the game stage, they develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal rules and norms. This cognitive and social development enables them to internalize the expectations of the broader community, refining their ability to regulate behavior.Consistent participation in organized activities is crucial in helping children recognize that their actions are not isolated but contribute to a more significant, interconnected group...
189
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood01:28

Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood

Erik Erikson, a stage theorist, adapted Freud's theory to emphasize social factors in personality development throughout life, a concept known as psychosocial development. Unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood, Erikson believed that personality evolves across eight life stages, each marked by a specific challenge or "crisis." Successful resolution of each stage fosters competence, while failure may lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The first four of Erikson's eight...
780
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity01:23

Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity

Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
406