Famiglia e mutismo selettivo: aspetti relazionali e psicopatologici

Abstract

Within the systemic perspective the research aim is to study the relational aspects implicated in the processes of symptoms maintenance within families with child affect from selective mutism (SM). Different findings show as the SM is disorder belonging to the anxious cluster. The ability to read the behaviour of SM as anxious condition is comparable to the ability to understand the other behaviours using the others mental states (Fonagy, Steele, Steele and Moran, 1991). According to this perspective some studies (Beebe and Lachmann, 1998) have pointed out as the parent ability to understand the mental states of own child is negatively influenced by the parent emotional condition. According to this findings this research analyzes the action a) of the emotional reaction to the diagnosis of SM and, b) of the family cohesion on the parents understanding of the child SM behaviours in terms of anxious condition. The sample is constituted by 19 couples of parents with children affect by SM (DSM-IV). The parents have been assessed by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES) version III and the Hadley Questionnaire. The data analysis has underlined that mothers that had reacted to the diagnosis of SM with anger, otherwise from mothers that had had a non-anger reaction, didn't have an understanding of the child SM behaviours in terms of anxious mental states. Besides in the families enmeshed, otherwise from those disengaged, both parents didn't have a understanding of the child SM behaviours in terms of anxious mental states. These results underline as the anger emotional reaction to the SM child diagnosis and the family enmeshed can be an obstacle to parent understanding of the child SM behaviours in terms of anxious mental states. The article discusses the findings implications on the clinical practice according to the psychopathological theories and to psychological family treatments in the cases of childhood SM.