title: MATERNAL MIND-MINDEDNESS: RELATIONS WITH MATERNAL-FETAL ATTACHMENT AND STABILITY IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF LIFE: FINDINGS FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PROSPECTIVE STUDY.
abstract: Mind-mindedness captures a caregiver's attunement to his or her infant's mental states, and the tendency to interpret behavior as resulting from these mental states. The construct is assessed through analysis of maternal language during interaction or from mothers' use of mental state words when invited to describe their child. This study examined whether maternal-fetal attachment predicted maternal mind-mindedness, whether there was continuity in mind-mindedness over the first 2 postnatal years, and concordance for the two approaches to measurement. One hundred fifty women completed a questionnaire measure of maternal-fetal attachment in the third trimester of pregnancy and participated in home visits to assess maternal mind-mindedness when their infants were 7 months and 19 months of age. Path analysis showed that maternal-fetal attachment predicted indices of maternal mind-mindedness at 7 and 19 months; mothers who made more mind-related comments during play at 7 months also did so at 19 months, and mothers who made more mind-related comments during play at 19 months also used more mental state words when describing their child. Results suggest that a proclivity to mind-mindedness may be a caregiver characteristic that is present prior to birth and stable over time.
authors.affiliation: Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.affiliation: Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Anna-Lisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Camberis
authors.affiliation: Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Sinead
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D064866:Mindfulness; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: afectividad materna hacia el feto; attachement maternel foetal; maternal mind-mindedness; maternal-fetal attachment; mentalidad materna hacia el pensamiento mental; mütterliche Mind-Mindedness; mütterliche pränatale Bindung; préoccupation maternelle pour les pensées de l'enfant; 母親のマインド・マインデッドネス; 母親の胎児への愛着; 母親的思維意識; 母親胎兒依附