The Relationship of Maternal Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems: The mediating Role of Reflective Functioning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of maternal reflective functioning mediators in association with the mother’s traumatic childhood experiences and their children’s emotional and behavioral problems. The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population included the mothers who visited secured houses in the city of Tehran in 2021 that selected by voluntarily method. They answered to the Paternal Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) (Lutin et al.), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein et al.) and The Child Behavioral Check List (CBCL) (Achenbach & Rescorla). The data were analyzed by path analysis test. The findings of this research showed that traumatic childhood experiences significantly predict low reflective functioning. Also, traumatic childhood experiences and low reflective action of mothers have a significant positive relationship with emotional and behavioral problems in their children. These findings indicated that reflective functioning plays a mediating role in the relationship between traumatic childhood experience and children’s emotional and behavioral problems. According to the findings, it is recommended to hold a workshop and training based on attachment theory in order to familiarize and deal with mothers' traumatic childhood experiences.

Keywords

• emotional and behavioral problem
• reflective functioning
• traumatic childhood experiences