A preliminary validation of PMQ-A four-factor questionnaire measuring parental mentalizing

The present study describes the construction and preliminary validation of a new parental mentalizing scale, PMQ. Based on theory, we hypothesized that one higher-order parental mentalizing factor would comprise four dimensions of parental mentalizing: (1) Parental self-mentalizing (SELF), (2) Paren...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in psychology 2024-06, Vol.15, p.1250092
Main Authors: Teräsahjo, Timo, Turunen, Tiina, Lahtinen, Oskari, Salmivalli, Christina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
assessment of parental mentalizing
confirmatory factor analysis
parental mentalizing
parental reflective functioning
Psychology
scale development
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Summary:The present study describes the construction and preliminary validation of a new parental mentalizing scale, PMQ. Based on theory, we hypothesized that one higher-order parental mentalizing factor would comprise four dimensions of parental mentalizing: (1) Parental self-mentalizing (SELF), (2) Parental child-mentalizing (CHILD), (3) Effort (E), and (4) Curiosity (C). After modifying the content of one factor (Effort > Lack of Effort, LE), four-factor structure with one higher-order factor was confirmed in data collected from parents of children aged two to 6 years through social media and email lists (N = 321, 10% male). All factors loaded significantly on the higher-order factor, with acceptable internal consistencies. Next, PMQ factors were compared with the factors of a previously validated questionnaire, parental reflective functioning questionnaire (PRFQ). The PMQ and PRFQ factors were consistently and significantly correlated, indicating the validity of the PMQ as a measure of parental mentalization ability. The continuation of PMQ validation is discussed.
ISSN:1664-1078
1664-1078
DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1250092