Associations Between Maternal Reflective Functioning and Adolescent Personality Pathology

Adolescence is a unique developmental phase with peak onset for psychiatric disorders, particularly personality disorder (PD). During adolescence, the parent-child relationship remains crucial for optimal adolescent development. Research suggests that maternal reflective functioning (RF) may play an important role in buffering against the development of psychopathology in early youth. Yet, little is known about the potential protective role of maternal RF in the context of adolescent personality pathology, especially conceptualized using both the categorical model of PD in DSM-5 Section II and dimensional alternative model for personality disorder (AMPD) in DSM-5 Section III. The current study examined the associations between maternal RF and adolescent personality pathology in a sample of N = 119 mother-adolescent dyads. Using the Parent Development Interview-Revised (PDI-R) to assess maternal RF, our primary aim was to evaluate the relation between maternal RF and adolescent personality pathology across the full latent trait: borderline features, impairment in self and interpersonal functioning (AMPD Criterion A), and maladaptive personality traits (AMPD Criterion B). Our secondary aim was to evaluate group differences in maternal RF for adolescents categorized as reaching the clinical threshold for personality pathology and those below the clinical threshold, operationalized using a measure of AMPD Criterion A. Linear regressions revealed that maternal RF was a significant predictor of adolescent borderline features and impairments in self and interpersonal functioning when controlling for gender and age, but not maladaptive personality traits. Group comparisons revealed no significant difference in maternal RF between adolescents above and below the optimal cut-point when groups were defined using the AMPD Criterion A measure. However, there was a significant difference when groups were defined using the cut-point for a measure of borderline features, such that maternal RF scores were significantly higher for adolescents below the clinical cut-off than those above. This study is the first to demonstrate links between maternal RF and adolescent personality pathology by assessing maternal RF through interview-based format and adolescent personality dysfunction from both categorical and dimensional frameworks of PD. Taken together, our findings have important clinical implications for the utility of targeting maternal RF in therapeutic interventions for adolescent personality dysfunction.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology, Clinical

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Cervantes, Breana Rachelle

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sharp, Carla

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Bick, Johanna
• Kulesz, Paulina

• Maternal reflective functioning
• Parent Development Interview
• Personality pathology
• Adolescence

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/17636

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/17636