Attachment Representations and Mentalizing in Middle Childhood Across One Year: A Preliminary Pilot Longitudinal Study

This 3-wave short-term longitudinal exploratory pilot study aimed to investigate the stability of both children’s attachment (Attachment Narrative Coherence [ANC]) and mentalizing (Reflective Functioning [RF]) and to explore the possible role played by children’s mentalizing in promoting attachment security over 1 year. Italian children (N = 22, Mage = 11.30, SD = 2.24) recruited from low-income families in the community completed the Child Attachment Interview at three time points: baseline (Time 1), after 3 months (Time 2), and after 12 months (Time 3). The interviews were coded to assess both ANC and RF. The Verbal Comprehension Index was also assessed. The findings show significant temporal stability of both ANC and RF over 1 year. The cross-lagged regression model revealed that ANC was not a significant predictor of RF at both Time 1 and Time 2; while RF at baseline significantly predicted ANC at Time 2. These findings suggest that children’s capacity to mentalize and think about themselves and their relationships with attachment figures in mental state terms facilitates their ANC, an indicator associated with attachment security.