Convergent Validity of Three Measures of Reflective Function: Parent Development Interview, Parental Reflective...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Reflective Functioning (RF) assesses understanding of mental states, crucial for adult and child well-being.
• Parental RF specifically relates to a parent's capacity to consider their child's mental states.
• Current gold standard RF assessment (RFS via PDI/AAI) is time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the convergent validity of two alternative RF measures: the Reflective Function Questionnaire (RFQ) and the Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire (PRFQ).
• To assess the PRFQ's utility as a rapid and valid measure of parental RF.

Main Methods:

• 150 mothers and fathers from the APrON cohort participated.
• Convergent validity was tested by comparing PRFQ and RFQ scores with the gold standard PDI-rated RFS.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression, and Cohen's kappas.

Main Results:

• Two subscales of the PRFQ demonstrated significant correlations with the PDI-rated RFS (p < 0.05).
• This provides evidence for the convergent validity of the PRFQ.
• The PRFQ emerged as a promising brief, multidimensional measure.

Conclusions:

• The Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire (PRFQ) is a valid and efficient alternative for assessing parental reflective functioning.
• The PRFQ is suitable for large-scale research on parental development and child health.
• This facilitates broader research into the impact of parental RF on child outcomes.