The contribution of adverse childhood experiences to postpartum maternal reflective functioning: A prospective examination of the role of maternal disintegrative responses and personal growth

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) may negatively impact a mother's parental reflective functioning. However, if coping with this difficulty generates personal growth, it may help her to function in a positive reflective manner with her child. Objective: In a two-phase prospective study, we examined a mediation model and a moderated mediation model depicting the contribution of ACE (Phase 1), maternal disintegrative responses (intrusive thoughts and dissociative experiences; Phase 1), and personal growth (Phase 2) to maternal reflective functioning (Phase 2) as expressed in three dimensions: Pre-mentalizing Modes (PM), Certainty about Mental States (CMS), and Interest and Curiosity (IC). Method: Three hundred and eighty-five Israeli women participated in the study 16 weeks after childbirth (Phase 1) and again 6–10 months postpartum (Phase 2). Findings: The mediation model revealed that maternal dissociative experiences fully mediated the relationship between ACE and PM, and maternal intrusive thoughts fully mediated the relationship between ACE and CMS. However, the moderated mediation model showed that these mediation relationships were dependent on the level of personal growth reported by the mother. Conclusions: The findings highlight the vulnerability of mothers with ACE to function in a less reflective manner, as well as the effect of personal growth on their maternal functioning.