Caregivers‘ mentalizing in child care: The impact of attachment and emotional distress

The present study aims at investigating conditions underlying positive interactions and relationships in the context of early child care. The study focuses on interindividual differences in caregivers‘ attachment and mentalizing capacities. In a sample of N = 66 early childhood teachers in Germany, attachment representations were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview. In order to assess the teachers’ mentalizing capacities, based on the revised Parent Development Interview a semi-structured interview was developed, administered and coded using the Reflective Functioning Scale. To assess teachers‘ emotional distress the interviews were coded using the Assessment of Representational Risk. Teachers with secure attachment representations achieved the highest RF scores. Emotional distress had little impact on the mentalizing capacities of caregivers with secure and dismissing attachment. In contrast, the mentalizing capacities of caregivers with preoccupied attachment were impaired with increased emotional distress. The results indicate that attachment security influences how early childhood teachers perceive, appraise and interpret current relationships with the children. In particular, in teachers with preoccupied attachment emotional distress seems to have a moderating effect. Implications for research and practice are discussed.