Maternal Reflective Functioning Associates with Adolescent Personality Pathology in Mother-Adolescent Dyads

Adolescence is a unique developmental phase with peak onset for personality disorder (PD). During adolescence, the parent-child relationship remains crucial for optimal adolescent development. Specifically, maternal reflective functioning (RF) is an important buffer against the development of psychopathology. Yet, little is known about maternal RF in the context of adolescent personality pathology, conceptualized using DSM-5 Section II or the alternative model for personality disorder in DSM-5 Section III. The current study aimed to evaluate relations between maternal RF and three measures of adolescent personality pathology: borderline features, impairment in self and interpersonal functioning, and maladaptive personality traits. Our secondary aim was to evaluate group differences in maternal RF for adolescents above and below the clinical threshold for personality pathology. Participants included 119 adolescents and their primary female caregivers. Results showed maternal RF was significantly associated with adolescent borderline features when controlling for gender, and impairment in self and interpersonal functioning when controlling for gender and age. However, no significant group differences in maternal RF scores were observed for adolescents above and below the clinical cutoff on personality disorder. Findings have implications for the utility of targeting maternal RF in therapeutic interventions for adolescent personality dysfunction.