Emotionally avoidant language in the parenting interviews of substance-dependent mothers: associations with reflective functioning, recent substance use, and parenting behavior.
Open accessAbstract
Parenting and emotion regulation are two known, and potentially interrelated, areas of impairment among substance-abusing mothers. In this study, we examine substance -abusing mothers' (positive and negative) emotion language word use during their discussion of negative parenting experiences on the Parent Development Interview for its association with reflective functioning (RF), recent substance-use history, and sensitivity to child cues. Within a sample of 47 methadone-maintained mothers, we evaluate the hypothesis that linguistic evidence of emotional avoidance (more frequent positive feeling words and less frequent negative emotion words) will be associated with lower RF, more recent substance use, and more insensitive parenting. Further, we evaluate whether language use mediates the association between self-focused RF and insensitive parenting. Results of hierarchical regressions suggest that more frequent positive feeling word use, but not negative emotion word use, is associated with lower RF, more recent substance use, and lower sensitivity to child cues. Positive feeling word use partially mediates the association between self-focused RF and insensitive parenting. Results are discussed in the context of their contribution to the literature on emotion and parenting in substance-abusing populations.
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Further studies found a significant relationship between maternal reflective functioning and quality of caregiving even in clinical samples.
“Nevertheless, further studies found a significant relationship between maternal RF and quality of caregiving even in clinical samples (Borelli et al., 2012; Huth-Bocks et al., 2014; Stacks et al., 2014).”
From Mentalizing makes parenting work: a review about parental reflective functioning and clinical interventions to improve it (2017) · cites this paper as Borelli et al., 2012
The maternal ability to mentalize painful emotional experiences is especially crucial for the child's development.
“Fourthly, in our opinion some components of the parental reflective functioning, such as the painful affect mentalization versus non-painful affect mentalization, deserve more in-depth investigation since some studies (Fonagy et al., 2002; Sharp et al., 2006; Borelli et al., 2012; Rosso et al., 2015) demonstrated that the maternal ability to mentalize painful emotional experiences is especially”
From Mentalizing makes parenting work: a review about parental reflective functioning and clinical interventions to improve it (2017) · cites this paper as Borelli et al., 2012
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References 66 · Cited by 70
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Fonagy P Gergely G Jurist E Target M Affect regulation, mentalisation, and the development of the self 2002 New York Other Press
- Mayes LC Truman S Bornstein M Substance abuse and parenting Handbook of parenting 2002 2nd ed. Vol. 4 Hillsdale, NJ Erlbaum 329 259
- Rosenbaum M Women on heroin 1981 New Brunswick, NJ Rutgers University Press
- Authors
- Borelli, J. L., West, J. L., Decoste, C., & Suchman, N. E.
- Affiliations
- Pomona College (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Borelli, Jessica L.
- Venue
- Infant Mental Health Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-05-22
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 506-519
- ISSN
- 0163-9641 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-0355
- PMC
- PMC3462027
- OpenAlex
- W2095630692
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 5.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Infant Mental Health Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA017294, K02DA023504)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- maternal substance use, emotional avoidance, emotion language, reflective functioning, parental behavior, methadone maintenance treatment, emotion regulation, mediation
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