Maternal mentalizing and quality of interactive behavior with their infant in the first year postpartum: A meta-analysis

The quality of parent-infant interaction is crucial for infant development, and the postpartum period is considered particularly important for subsequent developmental pathways. Parental mentalizing has been identified as a key component influencing parental behavior. Yet, no meta-analysis has specifically focused on the link between parental mentalizing and observed parental behavior during parent-infant interaction in the first year postpartum. The present study addresses this gap by conducting a meta-analysis of 20 studies involving mothers and their 0–12 months old infants. A three-level random effects analysis, encompassing 133 individual effect sizes and 1990 participants, revealed a small, positive overall effect size (r = 0.20). Moderator analyses investigated the influence of study methodology (e.g., offline versus online assessment of mentalizing, free-play interaction versus non-free play), sample and study characteristics on effect size. Using meta-regression, significant moderators were maternal SES risk-status and study publication year, while study methodology and other sample and study characteristics did not moderate the association. The study advances our understanding of parental mentalizing and parenting behavior in the postpartum period, providing methodological considerations for mentalizing assessment. Results are discussed in terms of implications and recommendations for future research.