title: Prenatal reflective functioning in primiparous women with a high-risk profile.
abstract: The concept of maternal reflective functioning (RF) has been gaining increasing interest as a possible intermediate mechanism in associations between a wide range of psychosocial risk factors and poor child outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine which psychosocial risk factors are linked to prenatal RF in a high-risk (HR) group of primiparous women. Differences in prenatal RF between the HR group and a low-risk (LR) control group also were examined. The sample consisted of 162 women (M = 22.22 years, SD = 2.39; 83 classified as HR). RF was coded from the Pregnancy Interview (A. Slade, 2007a). Risk status was assessed by means of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview-plus (M.I.N.I.-plus; D.V. Sheehan et al., 1997) and several questionnaires. HR women demonstrated significantly lower RF quality than did the LR group. Regression analyses indicated that maternal education, size of social support network, and substance use during pregnancy were the strongest predictors of prenatal RF for the HR group. The results suggest that maternal RF potentially could be an important target for those prevention and intervention programs that aim to reduce adverse psychosocial development in offspring of HR mothers.
authors: Leiden University.
authors: Hanneke J A
authors: HJ
authors: Smaling
authors: Leiden University.
authors: Stephan C J
authors: SC
authors: Huijbregts
authors: Leiden University.
authors: Jill
authors: J
authors: Suurland
authors: Leiden University.
authors: Kristiaan B
authors: KB
authors: Van Der Heijden
authors: Leiden University and Cardiff University.
authors: Stephanie H M
authors: SH
authors: Van Goozen
authors: Leiden University.
authors: Hanna
authors: H
authors: Swaab
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D055815:Young Adult