Reflective Functioning of Refugee Mothers with Children Born of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Kimberley Anderson and Elisa van Ee
Additional contact information
Kimberley Anderson: Psychotraumacentrum Zuid Nederland, Reinier van Arkel Groep, 5211 LJ ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
Elisa van Ee: Psychotraumacentrum Zuid Nederland, Reinier van Arkel Groep, 5211 LJ ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: The ability of a parent to step back from their own experiences in order to understand those of their child, reflective functioning (RF), can be impacted by myriad factors. We explored RF among refugee mothers in the context of having a child born of sexual violence (CBSV). A sample of 10 mothers now residing in the Netherlands, both with ( n = 5) and without ( n = 5) a CBSV, were interviewed, seeking to explore parents’ representations of their children, themselves as parents, and their relationship with their children. After deriving a score of RF, interview narratives were qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis. An ordinary level of reflective functioning was identified in this sample overall (average score 4.5); which was reduced in the group with CBSV (average score 3.0). Trends within the qualitative analyses indicated that emotion regulation and ambivalence as well as parenting challenges are factors that affect RF capabilities for mothers with CBSV. Wider findings show that the asylum process and mental well-being also impinge on RF capabilities. Experiences of having a CBSV as well as those pertaining to being a refugee appear to interact and impact reflective functioning for some mothers. Further investigation would add weight to this pilot data.

Keywords: sexual violence; refugee; reflective functioning; attachment; PDI-RF (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2873/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2873/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2873-:d:348534

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().