Enhancing Parental Reflective Functioning: Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma, Depressive Symptoms, and Emotion Dysregulation Challenges in Caregivers

Background

Researchers have delved into the challenges faced by individuals with a history of childhood trauma in effectively fulfilling parental roles, as the transition to parenthood often triggers recollections of one’s own upbringing and reactivates representations of parental figures (Fraiberg et al., 1975). As such, parents with childhood traumatic experiences may find the transitional phase to be particularly challenging and stress-inducing, potentially amplifying vulnerability (Manshadi et al., 2023). Parental mentalizing or parental reflective functioning refers to the capacity of parents and caregivers to acknowledge and understand mental states within the context of the caregiver and child relationship (Fonagy, 1993), which is crucial for sensitive parenting and secure parent-child relations (Georg et al., 2023). According to the internal working model (IWM), early relational experiences mold the attachment system, which in turn influences future relationships (Bowlby, 1999; Fonagy et al., 2002; Slade et al., 2005). Childhood trauma, particularly when perpetrated by primary caregivers, can adversely affect attachment, impeding parental reflective functioning (Fonagy et al., 2002; Slade et al., 2005). As investigations into the underlying mechanisms remain relatively scarce, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between caregivers' childhood trauma and parental reflective functioning by examining depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation as key mechanisms.

Methods

The study used a cross-sectional design to gather self-reported data from 245 caregivers aged 18+ with children under eight. Participants were recruited through flyers at preschools, libraries, and online parenting groups to take an online Qualtrics survey. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between childhood trauma (CTQ) and parental reflective functioning (PRFQ), with depressive symptoms (CES-D) and emotion dysregulation (DERS) as mediators.

Results

Results showed a significant association between childhood trauma and parental reflective functioning (particularly pre-mentalizing modes) among caregivers (B = .063, 95% C.I. = .006 ~ .121). Childhood trauma affected parental reflective functioning in caregivers through the manifestation of emotion dysregulation (B = .038, 95% C.I. = .014 ~ .066). Furthermore, the findings indicated a sequential mediation pathway, wherein caregivers’ childhood trauma impacts their parental reflective functioning through depressive symptoms, followed by emotion dysregulation (B = –.027, 95% C.I. = –.046 ~ –.009).

Conclusions and Implications

The present study revealed an indirect pathway from childhood trauma to parental reflective functioning through current emotion dysregulation. In addition, current depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation serially mediate the relation between caregivers’ childhood trauma and parental reflective functioning. This study provides a strong foundation for future research in this area, with the potential to inform the development of interventions and strategies that can help alleviate the impact of early life trauma on parenting and parental reflective functioning, specifically. Particularly, the findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation could be effective in enhancing parental reflective functioning among caregivers who have experienced childhood trauma.