Journal of Family Research

Journal of Family Research

Working Mothers' Guilt and Children's Behavioral Problems: the Moderating Role of Parental Reflective Functioning

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors
Narges Jamali Nazari
Samaneh Salimi
Masoud Gholamali Lavasani
Abbas Javaheri
Department of Counseling, faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.48308/jfr.2025.237025.1819
Abstract
Abstract: This research examines the moderating role of parental reflective functioning in the relationship between the guilt experienced by working mothers and their children's behavioral problems. The population of this study consisted of all working mothers with children aged 3 to 6 living in Tehran in 1403. A sample of 225 mothers was determined and selected using a convenience sampling method. The tools used in the research included the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), the Guilt About Parenting Scale (GAPS), and the Behavioral part of the Social Skills Rating System-Parent (SSRS-P). The research employed a descriptive-correlational design, incorporating hierarchical regression analysis, with data analysis conducted utilizing SPSS-25 software. The findings indicate the moderating role of the pre-mentalizing dimension of parental reflective functioning in the relationship between parental guilt and behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing behaviors) in children. This suggests that increases in pre-mentalization among mothers are associated with more behavioral problems in their children, while less pre-mentalization reduces behavioral problems associated with parental guilt.
Keywords
Behavior Problems in Children
Parental Guilt
Parental Reflective Functioning
Working Mothers
Subjects