The Effects of Parental Attachment Representations, Marital Attachment and Parental Reflective Functioning on Children’s Problem Behavior: Differences Between Fathers and Mothers

Objectives: This study examined the interrelationships among parental attachment representations, marital attachment, and parental reflective functioning (PRF) in predicting children’s problem behaviors. It further aimed to elucidate the distinct pathways of fathers and mothers in these mechanisms, providing a nuanced understanding of parental reflective functioning during early childhood.Methods: The sample consisted of 223 fathers and 223 mothers of children aged 2–5 years. To capture broader parental trends, independent individuals were sampled, rather than paired dyads. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A multigroup analysis tested the statistical significance of path differences between paternal and maternal models.Results: The structural model demonstrated a robust fit for both groups. For fathers, the influence of attachment representations on problem behaviors was sequentially mediated by marital attachment and PRF. For mothers, attachment representations exerted a significant indirect effect solely through PRF. Multigroup analysis confirmed that the pathways from attachment representations to PRF differed significantly between the two models.Conclusion: These findings elucidate the distinct psychological mechanisms through which parental factors influence children’s development. Although PRF was a pivotal proximal determinant of children's behavioral outcomes in both groups, the internal processes leading to reflective functioning differed qualitatively. For fathers, the quality of marital attachment served as a critical contextual resource for fostering reflective functioning. For mothers, the intergenerational continuity of attachment played a primary role. Consequently, early interventions should be gender-specific: interventions for mothers should prioritize strengthening internal attachment security, whereas interventions for fathers should emphasize enhancing marital bonds to promote adaptive developmental outcomes in children.