Does your child need therapy? Maternal reflective functioning and perceived need for and use of child mental health treatment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interventions to improve reflective functioning (RF) are being delivered to parents of children with mental health needs, yet whether this population differs in RF is unknown. We examine if mothers with varying levels of child mental health (CMH) treatment need and use differ in RF in a community sample of 212 mothers. Participants completed measures of general RF, parental RF, children’s symptoms, perceived treatment need, treatment utilization, and perceptions of treatment efficacy at baseline and one year later. Low maternal RF was associated with elevated child symptoms, and a greater perceived need for treatment. Among mothers who believed their child needed services, those with low general RF were less likely to be utilizing services at baseline and in the next year. Mothers with lower parental RF also believed that CMH treatment was less effective. Findings support the use of RF-based interventions with parents identified because of their child’s mental health.