Parental Representations Research Articles

Coparenting Representations and Interactions Among Parents of Preschoolers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

SYNOPSIS Objective. Coparenting (CP) representations as assessed using self-report or interviews are associated with coparental behavior among families with typically developing (TD) children. The current study examined whether the same would apply among families with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or that there would be no such association due to the communication and behavioral difficulties related to children’s diagnosis. Design. The CP representations of parents of 80 preschooler boys with ASD were assessed using self-report, and CP behaviors were assessed in the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP) procedure and in a novel Coparental conversation task. Results. More positive CP representations as reported by mothers, but not fathers, were associated with more positive Coparental behaviors during the LTP and during the parental conversation task, even after controlling for children’s cognitive level and severity of symptoms and for parents’ Broad Autism Phenotype and years of education. Conclusions. Coparenting as studied in families of TD children is applicable in families with children with ASD.

Parental Representations and Emotional Availability: The Case of Children with Autism and Severe Behavior Problems.

Studies suggest that parents' emotional availability (EA) is associated with children's wellbeing, including in the case of children with autism. Our study extended prior research by examining the role of parents' representations in fostering parental EA and by focusing on fathers and on children with autism and severe behavior problems. We expected that parents' positive representations would be associated with higher EA and compared mothers' and fathers' representations and EA. Participants were 79 mothers and 69 fathers (child age range = 61-173months, 21.95% girls). Representation assessments included the Reaction to Diagnosis Questionnaire, tapping resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis, and the coherence and positive comments in parents' Five Minute Speech Samples about the child. Parents' EA was coded from parent-child play interactions. Controlling for children's autism symptoms and adaptive functioning, mothers' resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis and positive comments (but not coherence) were associated with their EA, and fathers' coherence (but not positive comments and resolution) was associated with their EA. Mothers expressed more positive comments than fathers, and the resolution and EA scores of mothers and fathers were significantly correlated. Our results highlight the importance of considering both parents' representations and EA when studying and working with families of children with autism and severe behavior problems.

Gender messages in girls' puberty books: A focus on parent representation.

This study provides an ethnographic lens to understand gender messages in girls' puberty books, focusing on the representation of parents in both text and images. A content and thematic analysis was performed on 22 children's books on girls' pubertal development drawn from Amazon bestselling books on Children's Health & Maturing. Content analysis results demonstrated an imbalance in the representation of parents in books about girls' pubertal development. Mothers appeared and were mentioned in the text significantly more than fathers. Mothers relative to fathers also were depicted significantly more in illustrations with positive expressions (e.g., smiling) while talking or interacting with their daughters. Fathers were under-represented and portrayed as relatively stoic actors with no clear role in preparing their daughters for puberty. Thematic analysis of the books reinforced and challenged gender norms and expectations. While mothers were observed as the primary source of support during this transition, some books emphasized fathers' valuable role in advocating for their daughters' well-being and fostering open communication. Implications for girls' gender role development are discussed.

The Legal Representation of Parents and Children During Placement Procedures in the Light of Article 8 ECHR

The Legal Representation of Parents and Children During Placement Procedures in the Light of Article 8 ECHR

Knowing Me, Knowing You: Changes in Parental Representations Among Established Adults Going Through Progressive Identity Development

AbstractDeveloping and revising one’s identity is a lifelong task, one that influences and is influenced by close relationships in the individual’s social context. For emerging adults, different approaches to identity formation have been associated with different ways of relating to their parents; however, little is known about how identity development and views on one’s parents interact beyond the emerging adult years. In the present study, we addressed this gap by examining changes in how established adults describe and relate to internal representations of their parents as they develop from identity foreclosure to identity achievement, an identity status transition that is considered progressive and has been related to shifts in parental representations in younger samples. From a longitudinal study using the Identity Status Interview (Marcia et al., Ego identity: A handbook for psychosocial research, Springer, 1993), we selected participants coded as foreclosed at age 29 and identity achieved at age 33 (N = 18). A case study approach was used to analyze individual changes in parental representations, and a thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes across cases. The findings show that progressive identity development in established adulthood may involve making more reflective comparisons between oneself and one’s parents, describing one’s parents more as whole persons, and relating to parental influence with greater independence and agency. The results highlight the continued importance of parents for adult identity development, and that progressive identity development in established adulthood may involve increased complexity in representations of both oneself and one’s parents.

Parental prenatal representations of the child are related to 18-month-old children’s social-emotional competence

ABSTRACT Parental representations of the child are linked to positive developmental outcomes in children, but the impact of prenatal representations on early social-emotional development, particularly from fathers, is less understood. This study explores how fathers’ and mothers’ prenatal representations within two-parent families are associated with early social-emotional development. Prenatal representations of fathers (n = 88) and mothers (n = 92) were assessed between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation using the Working Model of the Child Interview, categorizing them as balanced or nonbalanced. The children’s (n = 97; 49.5% girls) social-emotional and behavioral problems and competencies were measured at 18 months using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Balanced prenatal representations of both parents were related to higher social-emotional competence in toddlers. However, prenatal representations were not related to social-emotional and behavioral problems. The results highlight the benefits of balanced prenatal representations in promoting early social-emotional competence in children.

Conceptualizing parenthood: American newspaper discourse analysis

This study aims to elucidate the metaphorical representations of the concept PARENT within American media discourse. By analyzing the conceptual metaphors employed in newspaper discourse, we seek to reconstruct the metaphorically derived understanding of parenthood within English-speaking community. These conceptual metaphors, crafted by media presenters, exert a profound influence on the societal comprehension of this concept, both directly and indirectly. The study draws upon the Conceptual Metaphor theory, Conceptual Integration theory, and Discourse analysis. Within the scope of our investigation, the target domain PARENT encompasses four primary source domains: DUTIES, DIFFICULTIES, OWNER, and BURDEN. Our emphasis lies in scrutinizing the cross-domain mappings, which delineate systematic correspondences between the target and source domains. We investigate novel conceptualizations that emerge from conventional metaphoric patterns, employing cognitive mechanisms such as extension, elaboration, questioning, and combination. We also explore the conceptual blends and emergent structures that introduce additional layers of interpretation of being a parent. They are elucidated using Conceptual Integration Networks, specifically double- and multiple-scope models. Our analysis has unveiled the existence of four metaphorical clusters, each providing unique perspectives on how parenthood is conceptualized within the newspaper discourse.

Parental Reflective Functioning on the Parent Development Interview: A narrative review of measurement, association, and future directions.

A caregiver's capacity to mentalize is thought to be one of the most important features of secure parent-child relationships. Parental mentalizing can be measured using the Reflective Functioning (RF) coding system applied to the Parent Development Interview (PDI). In this narrative review, we summarize the research using this measure and synthesize what has been learnt about the predictors, correlates and sequelae of parental RF. Studies have consistently shown that PRF on the PDI is associated with both parent and child attachment and is an important factor in the intergenerational transmission of attachment. It is also related to the quality of parental representations, parent-child interactions, and child outcomes. While a number of social and clinical risk factors are associated with lower PRF, it is difficult to disentangle the unique contribution of each of these. We discuss these findings and present the direction of future work that is planned to expand and refine the PRF scale for the PDI.

Visualizing the invisible tie: Linking parent-child neural synchrony to parents' and children's attachment representations.

It is a central tenet of attachment theory that individual differences in attachment representations organize behavior during social interactions. Secure attachment representations also facilitate behavioral synchrony, a key component of adaptive parent-child interactions. Yet, the dynamic neural processes underlying these interactions and the potential role of attachment representations remain largely unknown. A growing body of research indicates that interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) could be a potential neurobiological correlate of high interaction and relationship quality. In this study, we examined whether interpersonal neural and behavioral synchrony during parent-child interaction is associated with parent and child attachment representations. In total, 140 parents (74 mothers and 66 fathers) and their children (age 5-6 years; 60 girls and 80 boys) engaged in cooperative versus individual problem-solving. INS in frontal and temporal regions was assessed with functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning. Attachment representations were ascertained by means of the Adult Attachment Interview in parents and a story-completion task in children, alongside video-coded behavioral synchrony. Findings revealed increased INS during cooperative versus individual problem solving across all dyads (𝛸2(2)=9.37, p=0.009). Remarkably, individual differences in attachment representations were associated with INS but not behavioral synchrony (p>0.159) during cooperation. More specifically, insecure maternal attachment representations were related to higher mother-child INS in frontal regions (𝛸2(3)=9.18, p=0.027). Conversely, secure daughter attachment representations were related to higher daughter-parent INS within temporal regions (𝛸2(3)=12.58, p=0.006). Our data thus provide further indication for INS as a promising correlate to probe the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment representations in the context of early parent-child interactions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We assessed attachment representations using narrative measures and interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) during parent-child problem-solving. Dyads including mothers with insecure attachment representations showed higher INS in left prefrontal regions. Dyads including daughters with secure attachment representations showed higher INS in right temporo-parietal regions. INS is a promising correlate to probe the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment representations in the context of parent-child interactions, especially within the mutual prediction framework.

Precursors and Effects of Self-reported Parental Reflective Functioning: Links to Parental Attachment Representations and Behavioral Sensitivity.

Parental reflective functioning is thought to provide a missing link between caregivers' own attachment histories and their ensuing parenting behaviors. The current study sought to extend research on this association involving 115 parents, both mothers and fathers, of 5-to-6-year-old preschoolers using the German version of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ). Our study was the first to combine Adult Attachment Interview classifications of parental attachment, behavioral observations of parental sensitivity and PRFQ ratings while drawing on a sizable father subsample. We found theoretically consistent significant relations between all measures, while our results particularly highlighted the role of dismissing attachment for decreases in parenting quality on both cognitive and behavioral levels as the dismissing status differentially affected specific components of self-reported parental reflective functioning and observed sensitivity. Interestingly, these patterns were largely comparable in mothers and fathers. Exploratory mediation analyses further suggested that decreased parental reflective functioning may partially mediate the relationship between parents' dismissing attachment and decreased parental sensitivity. Thus, for prevention and intervention programs targeting parental sensitivity and thus children's long term healthy mental development, the interplay between parental reflective functioning and parents' own attachment history emerges as a key mechanism. Finally, our study served as a further validation of the PRFQ given the caveat that the pre-mentalizing subscale may need further revision in the German version.

Coherence of Parental Representations Following Therapy for Autistic Children.

Autistic children experience high rates of mental health challenges, and links have been found between child mental health and the parent-child relationship. As parents of autistic children are often actively involved in their child's treatment, it is important to consider aspects of the parent-child relationship within this context. The present study investigated changes in a component of the parent-child relationship, the coherence of parental representations, following participation in a 10-week cognitive behavioural therapy intervention designed to address autistic children's mental health challenges. Relationships were examined between coherence and child characteristics (i.e., autism symptoms, mental health), and associations with child treatment outcomes (i.e., mental health). Participants included 81 children (89% boys) aged 8 to 13 years and their parents (85% mothers) aged 35 to 54 years. Baseline levels of coherence were related to children's mental health symptoms but not autism symptoms. Although there were no significant changes in overall coherence across therapy, subscale-level improvements (i.e., concern, acceptance) emerged. Changes in coherence across therapy were linked with children's post-intervention behavioural symptoms and were approaching significance for internalizing problems, but were not associated with externalizing problems. It is critical to investigate factors that shape the coherence of parents' representations of their children, as this may provide insight into potential targets for intervention. Ascertaining whether participation in therapy improves parental coherence, and consequently child treatment outcomes, can advocate for parent-involved therapy, which will ultimately benefit the well-being of autistic children.

Antidote to Developmental Trauma: A Report on Findings from the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” Study

ABSTRACT This paper is a summary of findings from the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” study which was a collaboration between the Anna Freud Centre, Great Ormond Street, and Coram that focused on the nature and development of parent and child attachment representations in an adoption context. The study began with Adult Attachment Interview assessments of both mothers and fathers who would go on to adopt a group of 58 previously maltreated children aged four to eight years. There was also a comparison group of 42 children, also aged four to eight years but who had been adopted in their infancy. The children were assessed early in their adoptive placement, with the Story Stem Assessment Profile in order to focus on their attachment representations along with a range of cognitive and psychological functioning assessments. The parents were interviewed using the Parent Development Interview to access their attachment representations of their children. These assessments were repeated one year and two years later with subsequent follow-ups in early adolescence and a recently completed phase in the adoptees’ adulthood. The study is unique in exploring aspects of intergenerational patterns of attachment in nonbiologically related parents and children in a longitudinal design. The findings suggest that parental attachment states of mind are associated with their children’s attachment representations and the “intervention” of adoption is powerful with “late placed” children adopting more secure themes in their story stem narratives over time while also retaining some less optimal features such as avoidance and disorganization. The paper makes links with previous developmental and psychoanalytic work in the field of adoption and explores the potential policy implications of the study.

Being able to see your child: the journey of a single mother in a MBT group for high-risk parents, through her representations of the child

ABSTRACT This paper explores the parental representations of the child, through the case study of one participant in a mentalization-based intervention for parents of young children aged one – two years old, involved with the child welfare system as a result of their child’s maltreatment. A single mother’s representations of the child are analysed during the programme, through a qualitative lens. Narrative Processes Coding System (NPCS) and Thematic Analysis (TA) are used in combination, to elicit the mother’s representations by identifying language modes and themes from her narratives about both her own and other children. The maternal representations of the child appeared to be less negative as the programme reached its end. The mother’s reflexive language grew significantly in the middle phase of the programme and regressed during the last phase. However, the combined use of NPCS and TA showed an overall richer and less negative portrayal of the child during the ending phase. These findings suggest that during the course of the programme, the mother’s journey through her representations of the child, was characterised by progressions and regressions. There was also an emotional richness in the last phase of the programme that indicates the mother’s engagement in the group and her overall positive journey towards the development and the strengthening of a less negative representation of the child. Despite its limitations, this study hopes to provide insights for clinicians establishing and promoting interventions that aim to empower parents to clearly see their children.

Common caregiver illness representations in the context of family-based treatment: Commentary on Marchetti and Sawrikar (2023).

In their systematic review on parent illness representations in their children with anorexia nervosa (AN), Marchetti and Sawrikar (International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2023) integrate past research on the parental experience of the illness, investigating whether the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM) is a useful framework for understanding parental responses to AN. Given that family-based treatment (FBT) is a first-line treatment for adolescents with eating disorders and is based upon integrating parents into the treatment process, it is especially relevant to explore how parent illness representations may impact FBT. In this commentary, we describe how FBT is designed to support parents and address many of the common unhelpful beliefs and emotions associated with parenting an adolescent with AN. We include specific examples of how parents can be supported within FBT as manualized. We also examine parental representations that may not be addressed by FBT, and how these may impact treatment outcomes in FBT, possibly via the impact of expressed emotion. Future research is needed to determine if modifications to FBT are required to address parental representations of the illness. We end by expanding upon Marchetti and Sawrikar's suggestions on how treatment could be extended to better support parents as necessary.

Who Cares? Gender Role Representation of Same-Sex Parents in Children’s Picture Books

ABSTRACT Picture books are a central part of early childhood and contribute to the picture children form of the world. While most picture books are oriented toward the concept of heteronormativity, more picture books featuring same-sex parents have been published in recent years. This article addresses the question of how same-sex parents are portrayed with regard to gender roles. Data stems from 23 German-language picture books, 17 with two mothers, six with two fathers. A quantitative coding approach was used to capture the portrayal of gender roles. The analyses showed that parents (especially fathers) are depicted as engaging in emotional or caring activities. Although in a large number of picture books both parents provide care and household-related activities, there is a statistically significant difference in terms of one parent performing these activities more frequently. In this respect, it can be seen that the portrayal of same-sex parents is partially oriented toward homonormativity, as these activities are usually depicted as female.

An invisible caregiver for visibly older parents: Experiences of (young) adults shared as comments to newspaper articles on advanced age parenthood.

At the centre of the debate on advanced age parenthood are concerns for the offspring's well-being. In the few empirical studies available, researchers found that children born to older parents show similar or better cognitive, behavioural and psychosocial outcomes compared to children born to younger parents. Most of these studies examining the children's perspective are quantitative. This study qualitatively examined the experiences presented by (young) adults who identified as born to older parents offered in response to a selection of newspaper articles on the topic. Performing inductive thematic analysis, we found that positive experiences were often presented as a way to contradict prejudices about advanced age parenthood. Other comments described the visual representation of the older parents' age as an attribute that created difference and, in some cases, social distance from peers and the outside world in general. Central to the negative experiences was a contrast between the visibility of being a child of older parents and the invisibility of caring for them. Moreover, in a majority of the latter comments, the commenters' caregiving experiences combined with the social network's notable lack of understanding and support regarding the caregiving responsibilities were described as adversely affecting their lives. These findings provide more insight into the experiences of (young) adults born to advanced age parents and their potential needs.

Reformation of Storied Assumptions of Parents and Poverty

We begin this article by introducing research into a curriculum of parents (Pushor, 2011, 2013). We then make visible how pre-service teachers’ engagement in such a curriculum creates possibilities for teachers to actively resist deficit-based conceptualizations and to deepen their understanding of discourses of poverty and of representations of parents. The research is situated in Dewey’s (1938) foundational conception of experience as education and in Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) explication of a narrative inquiry framework comprised of stories of experience. We take up Ciuffetelli Parker’s (2013) notions – narrative reveal, narrative revelation, and narrative reformation – which we use to examine stories which illuminate one pre-service teacher’s growing understanding of the complexities of teaching in a school community affected by poverty. Using Ciuffetelli Parker’s narrative elements, we demonstrate how a teacher candidate, who experienced an explicit curriculum of parents, came to see parents affected by poverty as knowing and knowledgeable and as having an important place and voice in their children’s schooling and education

Analyse des représentations parentales dans le discours de parents d’enfant de 4 mois

AimThe child's place in our society has largely evolved over the past few decades. This has led to numerous public policies to tackle social inequalities in health care from an early age. Parenting support is one of the enhanced strategy actions and aims put in place, in particular, to strengthen the bonds of attachment and promote a child's development. The quality of attachment and parent–child interactions is correlated with parents’ representations of their children. The objective of the study is to report current parental representations of newborn children in the French population in general. MethodAs part of the PERL study, an ancillary study was conducted on parental representations. The interviews were conducted with the control families. The analysis was based on the method of conceptual categories in order to bring out the salient elements relating to parental representations and feelings associated with parenthood. ResultsAmong the analyzed discourses, parents have constructed the representations of their child, from the child's age of 4 months. These representations identify the 4-month-old child as being capable of making choices, having preferences, acting in the environment, and communicating with others. In addition, parents’ representations of themselves highlighted various feelings experienced concerning parenthood, the exercise of this new role, and the new parental behaviors towards the child, as a result of the disruption of being a parent. Parents also experienced a variety of feelings associated with parenting, parenthood, and their new role.

Friendships in Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Parental and Friendship Attachment Representations and Intimacy.

The current studies addressed the associations between attachment representations with parents and a single best friend, intimacy behaviors (self-disclosure and support-seeking), and friendship quality in emerging adulthood, using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Study 1 (N = 186 dyads) examined whether attachment to parents predicted friendship quality, and whether this was mediated by attachment to their best friend. More avoidance or anxiety with parents predicted lower friendship quality, which was mediated by avoidance or anxiety with their best friend. Study 2 (N = 118 dyads) examined whether self-disclosure and support-seeking mediated the link between attachment with best friend and friendship quality. Anxiety with their best friend predicted lower friendship quality, which was mediated by support-seeking. Anxiety predicted less self-disclosure and support-seeking. We found no effects of avoidance. No partner effects were found in both studies. The findings are discussed in terms of adult attachment theory.

Parental representations after preterm birth: a narrative review.

Preterm birth accounts for nearly 15 million births annually worldwide and constitutes a considerable risk factor for atypical development. This birth context is a source of stress for the parents and often leads to an early separation between their child and them. Research on the influence of the birth status on the infant's attachment style has shown no systematic link between preterm birth and the development of insecure attachment in children born preterm. This has opened up research perspectives in understanding the role of environmental factors. A literature review was conducted to present an overview of the current findings on parental representations (PR), particularly maternal ones, and their role in the context of preterm birth. PR quality appears to be associated with specific dyadic interaction patterns, thus exposing vulnerability factors. Studies exploring PR have pointed out the importance of considering parental mental elaboration mechanisms and contextual moderators in supporting socio-emotional development among children born preterm. We discussed the challenges of investigating PR in the context of preterm birth for future studies and emphasized the need for research studies to be conducted according to a developmental and non-deterministic perspective. This narrative review also aimed to highlight the importance of family centered care interventions in the context of a public policy focused on the child's "First 1,000 days" of life.