The role of child language ability and parental mentalization in early child dysregulation

Dysregulation in early childhood is associated with increased vulnerability to psychopathology and poor psychosocial outcomes. While there is evidence that both child language ability and parental mentalization are associated with dysregulation in early childhood, there is little understanding of the relationships between these variables, and minimal research has been conducted in clinical samples. This study tested the association between child language ability (using the Mullens Scale of Early Learning) and child dysregulation (using the Child Behavior Checklist Dysregulation Profile), and examined whether parental mentalization (operationalized as Parental Reflective Functioning and Mind-Mindedness, assessed using Diamond Maternal Reflective Functioning Scale and interactional 20-min play sessions, respectively) mediated this relationship, in a clinical sample of 90 mother-child dyads (child M age = 19.48 months, SD = 3.15) referred to a specialized community-based child behavior treatment clinic located in Sydney, Australia. Results showed that greater child receptive language and better parental reflective functioning were associated with lower rates of child dysregulation. Contrary to expectation, however, parental mentalization did not mediate the relationship between child language and dysregulation.These findings suggest that clinically, children with dysregulation may benefit from interventions targeting receptive language and parental reflective functioning; however, further research in this area is required.