A systematic review and meta‐analysis of parental mentalization in fathers and mothers
Why is this work in the frame?
A frame that forgets how it found something cannot be audited. These are the routes that admitted this work.
The three-model screen
all 1,000 screened works →All three models called this out of scope.
Meta-analysis answering a substantive question about parental mentalization; it uses a synthesis method rather than studying one.
This systematic review answers a substantive psychology question about parental mentalization rather than studying evidence synthesis.
Uses systematic review and meta-analysis to answer a parental mentalization question; method vs object.
Abstract
Despite the growing literature on parental mentalization (including measures such as mind-mindedness, parental reflective functioning, and parental insightfulness), considerably less research on parental mentalization has been conducted with fathers than with mothers, leaving important gaps in our understanding of gender differences in the construct. Specifically, it is not clear whether mothers and fathers exhibit similar levels of parental mentalization, and whether their scores are correlated. This knowledge can help inform the literature on similarities and differences between maternal and paternal behaviors, as well as the literature on their correlates. This study sought to answer these questions using a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating parental mentalization capacities in partnered mothers and fathers. Across 36 studies (32 unique samples and 87 effect sizes, N = 3,996 fathers and 4,414 mothers), mainly from Europe and North America, the results show that fathers presented lower scores than mothers (d = -.17, p < .001). There was also a significant correlation in scores between mothers and fathers of the same family (r = .15, p < .001). There were no significant moderators. Findings from this study emphasize the need for research on parental mentalization to use a family system approach.
Stored with the screening record, where it is evidence for the labels above.
The record
- Venue
- Infant Mental Health Journal
- Topic
- Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Field
- Psychology
- Canadian institutions
- University of OttawaUniversité de MontréalMcMaster University
- Funders
- —
- Keywords
- MentalizationPsychologyDevelopmental psychologyConstruct (python library)Meta-analysisMedicine
- Has abstract in OpenAlex
- yes