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Mediating and moderating links between coparenting, parental mentalization, parents' anxiety, and children's behavior
Daphna G Dollberg1, Keren Hanetz Gamliel1, Sigal Levy2
1School of Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo.
Summary
Parental anxiety significantly impacts children's behavior problems. Effective coparenting and maternal mentalization can buffer these negative effects, offering pathways for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Family systems theory and attachment theory offer frameworks for understanding child behavior.
- Coparenting and mentalization are key constructs influencing parent-child dynamics.
- Parental anxiety is a significant factor affecting family functioning and child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate family systems theory (coparenting) and attachment theory (mentalization) in relation to children's behavior problems.
- To investigate direct, indirect, and moderating links between parental anxiety, coparenting, mentalization, and child behavior.
- To examine these relationships in the context of general parental anxiety.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 78 Israeli couples and their 3- to 5-year-old children.
- Parents completed self-report questionnaires on anxiety, coparenting, and child behavior.
- Parental mind-mindedness (mentalization) was assessed via interviews; Actor-Partner Interdependent Model (APIMeM) was used for analysis.
Main Results:
- Parental anxiety directly and indirectly affected coparenting and child behavior (externalizing and internalizing).
- These effects were similar for mothers and fathers.
- Maternal mentalization, but not paternal, moderated the link between parental anxiety and child externalizing behavior.
Conclusions:
- Parental anxiety negatively impacts the family system and child behavior.
- Coparenting is a crucial executive subsystem, and maternal mentalization acts as a protective buffer.
- Findings support the development of targeted prevention and treatment interventions for families facing parental anxiety.
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