Mother-Child Relationship Quality When Expecting a Second Child: The Moderating Role of Maternal Reflective Functioning

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

The arrival of the second-born is a colossal familial change, which affects the entire family dynamics. Although highly prevalent, the implications of this transition on the mother-firstborn relationship are understudied. Previous research on the arrival of the second-born showed that there is a negative change in the quality of the mother-firstborn relationship (Dunn & Kendrick, 1980; Kojima, Irisawa, & Wakita, 2005; Volling, 2012). Nevertheless, individual differences in maternal behavior during this transition merit more investigation. In particular, the role of maternal cognitions, such as the reflective functioning (Fonagy & Target, 1997) as a resilient or alternatively, risk factor, has yet to be studied. Using observation, both on the mother and firstborn behaviors, the aim of this study was to examine whether maternal and child’s behaviors, change in the in light of the arrival of the second-born and whether these changes are moderated by the mother’s reflective functioning.
Mother-child interactions were measured using the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS 4th edition; Biringen, Derscheid, Vliegen, Closson, & Easterbrooks, 2014), a widely used macro-coding system, measuring both parent and child behaviors during interaction. Specifically, we focused on the maternal sensitive responsiveness to the child’s cues (i.e., maternal sensitivity) alongside child responsiveness to- and child involvement of- the mother. Each of these scales emphasizes how positive the child feels within the relationship with the mother. The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ; Luyten, Mayes, Nijssens, & Fonagy, 2017) was used to evaluate the mother’s reflective functioning, that is, thinking about her child as a psychological agent.
Seventy mother-firstborn dyads participated in this study. The data collection consisted of two home visits, two to four months before (T1) and four to six months after (T2) the arrival of the second-born. Firstborn children were 1-3 years old at the time of the first assessment. On each home visit, a mother-firstborn play interaction was videotaped.
Results indicated that after the birth of the second-born, maternal sensitivity to the firstborn increased significantly (t(69)=1.71, p<0.05). However, children’s behaviors during the mother-child interaction did not change, as seen in the non-significant difference in scores in child responsiveness and involvement between T1 and T2 (t(69)=0.44, p>0.05, t(69)=-0.91, p>0.05, respectively). In addition, a hierarchical regression analysis, using PROCESS Model 1, revealed a moderation effect (R=0.41, p<0.01), in which the direct and the interaction effects were both significant (β=1.18 SE=0.46, p<0.05, β=-0.39, SE=0.19, p<0.05, respectively).The change between T1 and T2 in maternal sensitivity was found only for mothers higher in reflective functioning. That is, mothers with higher levels of reflective functioning exhibited elevated levels of positive change between T1 and T2, whereas no difference was found for mothers having lower levels of reflective functioning. This shed new light on this important familial process and highlight the importance of maternal reflective functioning during this transition. These results propose that mothers who have a better understanding of their child’s internal world manage to provide their children with a more positive environment, in which they can better see their children’s needs, even during this potentially challenging time.

Authors

• Porat Yakov, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
  Presenting Author

• Kinneret Levavi, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alison Pike, University of Sussex
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kirby Deater-Deckard, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Non-Presenting Author

• Naama Atzaba-Poria, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  Non-Presenting Author