Abstract
Maternal mind-mindedness, or the tendency to view the child as a mental agent, has been shown to predict sensitive and responsive parenting behavior. As yet the role of mind-mindedness has not been explored in the context of feeding interactions. This study evaluates the relations between maternal mind-mindedness at 6 months of infant age and subsequently observed maternal sensitivity and feeding behaviors with children at age 1 year. Maternal mind-mindedness was greater in mothers who had breast-fed compared to formula-fed. Controlling for breast-feeding, mind-mindedness at 6 months was correlated with observations of more sensitive and positive feeding behaviors at 1 year of age. Mind-mindedness was also associated with greater general maternal sensitivity in play and this general parenting sensitivity mediated the effect of mind-mindedness on more sensitive and positive feeding behaviors. Interventions to promote maternal tendency to consider their child's mental states may encourage more adaptive parental feeding behaviors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 230-241 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Attachment and Human Development |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- breast-feeding
- child feeding
- feeding behavior
- mind-mindedness
- sensitive
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Medicine(all)
