‘How does she feel about me?’: Exploring foster carer mentalizing and its association with the quality of fostering relationships

Multiple studies have demonstrated the importance of caregiver mentalizing for the quality of parent–child relationships and children’s wellbeing. However, little work has been done to explore the role of caregiver mentalizing in the relationships between foster carers and the children they care for. In this study we investigated 1) how foster carer mentalizing compares to that of birth parents, and 2) the association between foster carer mentalizing and carer-child relationship quality. Thirty-seven foster carers and a matched-pair sample of 30 birth parents completed measures of parental reflective functioning. Foster carers also rated the quality of relationship with the child in their care. While no statistically significant difference in mean mentalizing was found, foster carers were found to be more likely to show extremely high or low mentalizing compared to birth parents. A significant association was found between carer-child relationship quality and foster carer certainty in mental states but no other metrics of foster carer mentalizing. Qualitative analyses revealed carer and child characteristics that may account for these unexpected findings. This study lays the groundwork for future research into foster carer mentalizing and raises questions about what factors are most important in determining fostering relationship quality.