MATERNAL REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING AND CHILD INTERNALISING AND EXTERNALISING DIFFICULTIES IN THE CONTEXT OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
Objectives were to examine 1) the relative contributions of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and maternal reflective functioning (MRF) in explaining child internalising and externalising, and 2) whether MRF moderated the relationship between CSA and child difficulties. Participants were 154 mothers, including 64 mothers of children with histories of CSA. MRF was assessed with the Parent Development Interview-Revised and children’s psychosocial difficulties with the Child Behavior Checklist. MRF was the only significant predictor of child internalising and externalising difficulties in a model where CSA and MRF were considered simultaneously. MRF moderated the relationship between CSA and child internalising, suggesting that the parent’s capacity to mentalize and imagine the child’s psychological experience has a protective function in the context of CSA.