Exploring paternal mentalization and its impact on early child development: A multimethod approach

Paternal mentalization, which refers to fathers’ understanding and interpretation of their children’s mental states, influences personal-social development outcomes in children as young as eighteen months. The main objective of this study was to explore the potential relationship between paternal reflective functioning and several key areas of child development, including communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social. Thirty-four father-child dyads were assessed by administering the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). The findings indicated significant associations between the child’s personal-social domain and two dimensions of paternal mentalization: pre-mentalization (low engagement in mentalization) (r = -.58; p < .001), and interest and curiosity (r = .35; p < .05). Multiple linear regression analysis also suggested that increased paternal pre-mentalization is associated with decreased child personal-social development (β = -5.56; p < .01). Due to a low participation rate of fathers (71.9%), an additional qualitative study was conducted. It aimed to enhance the quantitative findings by delving into contextual factors affecting mentalization through in-depth interviews. An Inductive Thematic Analysis identified factors promoting, inhibiting, or remaining neutral toward paternal mentalization. Both studies indicated the significant preventive potential of reflective fatherhood for families.