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A preliminary validation of PMQ-A four-factor questionnaire measuring parental mentalizing
Timo Teräsahjo1, Tiina Turunen1, Oskari Lahtinen1
1Faculty of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 27, 2024
Summary
This study introduces the Parental Mentalizing Questionnaire (PMQ) to measure parental mentalization. Validation confirmed its four-factor structure, showing it effectively assesses parental self-mentalizing, child-mentalizing, effort, and curiosity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Parenting Studies
Background:
- Parental mentalizing, the capacity to understand one's own and one's child's mental states, is crucial for child development.
- Existing measures may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of parental mentalizing.
- Theoretical frameworks suggest a higher-order structure encompassing self and child perspectives, as well as effort and curiosity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct and validate a new scale, the Parental Mentalizing Questionnaire (PMQ).
- To assess the psychometric properties of the PMQ in a sample of parents.
- To examine the relationship between the PMQ and existing measures of parental functioning.
Main Methods:
- Scale construction based on theoretical dimensions: Parental self-mentalizing (SELF), Parental child-mentalizing (CHILD), Effort (E), and Curiosity (C).
- Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the four-factor structure with one higher-order factor.
- Data collected from 321 parents of children aged 2-6 years via social media and email.
- Convergent validity was assessed by comparing PMQ factors with the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ).
Main Results:
- The hypothesized four-factor structure of the PMQ, with one higher-order factor, was confirmed.
- All factors demonstrated significant loadings on the higher-order factor and acceptable internal consistencies.
- Significant correlations were found between PMQ factors and PRFQ factors, supporting the PMQ's validity.
- The scale demonstrated preliminary validity as a measure of parental mentalization ability.
Conclusions:
- The Parental Mentalizing Questionnaire (PMQ) is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing parental mentalizing.
- The PMQ's structure supports a multidimensional view of parental mentalizing, including self, child, effort, and curiosity.
- Further validation studies are recommended to broaden the application of the PMQ.
Keywords:
assessment of parental mentalizingconfirmatory factor analysisparental mentalizingparental reflective functioningscale developmentMore Related Videos
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