AUTHOR=Teräsahjo Timo , Turunen Tiina , Lahtinen Oskari , Salmivalli Christina 

TITLE=A preliminary validation of PMQ—A four-factor questionnaire measuring parental mentalizing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1250092

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1250092

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=The present study describes the construction and preliminary validation of a new parental mentalizing scale, PMQ. Based on theory, we hypothesized that one higher-order parental mentalizing factor would comprise four dimensions of parental mentalizing: 1) Parental selfmentalizing (SELF), 2) Parental child-mentalizing (CHILD), 3) Effort (E), and 4) Curiosity (C). After modifying the content of one factor (Effort > Lack of Effort, LE), four-factor structure with one higher-order factor was confirmed in data collected from parents of children aged two to six years through social media and email lists (N = 321, 10% male). All factors loaded significantly on the higher-order factor, with acceptable internal consistencies. Next, PMQ factors were compared to the factors of a previously validated questionnaire, Parental reflective functioning questionnaire (PRFQ). PMQ and PRFQ factors correlated consistently and significantly, indicating the validity of the PMQ as a measure of parental mentalization ability. The continuation of PMQ validation is discussed.