Work

Minding the child’s mind: parental reflective functioning as a buffer for child distress in displaced families at war zones

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background Despite being an exceptionally vulnerable group, internally displaced children are underrepresented in the literature. Parents are instrumental in providing support to these children. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the moderating role of perceived parental reflective functioning (PRF) in the relationship between parental war exposure, parental stress, and parent-rated child distress. Participants and method Ninety-six internally displaced Israeli families with young children ages 3–6 were involved. Data was gathered online through online questionnaires using Qualtrics. Parents completed self-report measures assessing their exposure to war-related events, levels of stress and depression (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale), child distress (Child Stress Scale), and PRF (Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire). Results Parental reflective functioning (PRF) moderated the indirect link between parental war exposure and parental ratings of child distress via parental stress. At low and moderate PRF, parental stress fully mediated this relationship (Moderate: indirect = 0.05, p < 0.05, 95% CI [0.01, 0.09]; Low: indirect = 0.09, p < 0.05, 95% CI [0.02, 0.17]). At high PRF, the indirect effect was non-significant, and a direct association emerged ( b = 0.11, p = 0.007), suggesting that highly reflective parents may be more directly attuned to children’s emotional responses to war exposure. Conclusion These findings highlight the protective role of PRF in war and support the development of PRF-enhancing interventions to promote resilience among young, internally displaced children.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1684898

Authors: Yael Enav, Yael Mayer

Institution: University of Haifa

Language: English

Topic: Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801