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Attachment theory
–   Attachment from the infant’s perspective
–   Attachment from the parent’s perspective
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The importance of reflective functioning for attachment relationships
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Overview of an ongoing research study
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Emerging findings related to maternal reflective functioning during pregnancy, parenting, and attachment outcomes
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Discussion of case examples
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Implications for clinical work

Tracking occurs every 3 months throughout

Maternal
RF
Positive
Composite
Sensitivity Warmth Enthusiasm Engage
.35** .27* .33** .18 .26*
* p < .05. **p < .01.

Maternal
RF
Positive
Composite
Sensitivity Warmth Enthusiasm Engage
.43*** .41*** .30** .26* .34**
* p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001

Maternal
RF
Negative
Composite
-.25*
Interfere/
Control
-.20
Covert
Hostility
-.24*
Frightening Anxiety
-.11 -.22*
* p < .05.

Maternal
RF
Negative
Composite
-.08
Interfere/
Control
-.13
Covert
Hostility
-.12
Anxiety
-.03
Overt
Hostility
.02

Maternal
RF
Dyadic
Fluency
.27*
Shared
Positive
.34**
Shared
Neutral
-.19
Shared
Negative
-.10
* p < .05. **p < .01.

.35**
Prenatal
Reflective
Functioning
Maternal
Sensitivity
.31**
(.13)
.52**
Infant
Attachment
Security

Case Example:
“Wanda and Katrina”

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What do you think of this mother’s reflective functioning?
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Any other considerations?
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What would you expect to see in her interaction with her baby?

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What did you think and how did this match up with your predictions based on the transcript?
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How would you think of this in terms of reflective capacity? Other characteristics?
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How would it be for you to work with this mother and this dyad?

Case Example:
“Asha and Jasmine”

Do you think your baby will have a regular routine? And what do you think will happen if your baby can’t stay on the routine?
“I’m gonna have her, she gonna have a routine. It’s gonna be a regular day by day. If she don’t like it, she got a problem, cuz she gonna learn to love it.” So what do you think will happen if she or he didn’t stay in the routine?
“she ju-gon- she gonna stay in it that’s all I know…she probably just get a attitude like they get, have a fit, ain’t my problem, have to do what mama say.”
After your baby is born, what behavior in his/her first year of life do you think will be the most difficult for you to handle?
“ She want what she want when she want it, and she can’t have it, and I don’t know why, I don’t know why I can’t handle it, but it just ain’t gonna happen…. I figure momma can’t get what she want, you can’t get what you want less it’s something to drink or eat. I can agree with that. If it’s something else, it ain’t happening.” What will you feel like doing when your child behaves like that and how will you feel?
“Watch TV and look at her like she crazy. Or send her to her granny.”

Do you think your child will know that you don’t like that behavior? Why do you think he or she will act like that?
“Yeah, cuz she get a look at my face and I give her a strange look and then keep on doing what I was doing and tell her she better go sit down somewhere and she’ll get the hint.”
How would you describe your relationship with your baby now, while you’re pregnant “ I want her to come out. Ready to have the darn baby.” Can you pick 5 words to describe your relationship with your baby now?
“mmm, I can’t think of no words. I could say tired. That’s really, all she do is make me tired. She’s tired. Hungry. Um, that’s it. I go through my normal mood swings.” What pleases you most about your relationship with your baby while you’re pregnant?
“I don’t know. Only thing that pleases me is getting closer to the day.
That day. It’s the only thing.” How do you feel your relationship with your baby while you’re pregnant will affect the baby’s personality?
“I don’t think it will…. at all.”

Has your relationship changed during the pregnancy? In what ways and what is your feeling about the change?
“Ain’t nothing changed. She’s been the same old thing, kick and move.”
Do you think your baby will get upset often in the first 12 months?
“Yeah, faithfully. If she wet or hungry. If she ain’t walk and you don’t hold her. But if she does this, I’m gonna get frustrated. I’m gonna look at her like she’s crazy and sit there and rock her.” What do you think your feelings will be at those times?
“ I don’t know..I know I’m just gonna have mood swings because of them hormones. I’m just gonna be grateful that she’s here. She ain’t in there.” What about when the baby becomes emotionally upset?
“give her a pacifier.” What do you think your feelings will be at those times?
“I’m not gonna have no feelings. I’m just gonna give her the pacifier, that’s all
I know.”

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What do you think of this mother’s reflective functioning?
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Any other considerations?
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What would you expect to see in her interaction with her baby?

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What did you think and how did this match up with your predictions based on the transcript?
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How would you think of this in terms of reflective capacity? Other considerations?
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How would you approach forming a relationship with this mother and working with this dyad?

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What do you think now?
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What were similarities and differences between this interaction and the age 1 interaction?
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How would you approach forming a relationship with this mother and working with this dyad?