Mentalizing Abilities in Preadolescents\u2019 and Their Mothers\u2019 Autobiographical Narratives.

This study aims to investigate the association between the mental state talk of mothers and their preadolescent children, with the hypothesis that an intergenerational transmission of mentalizing abilities may extend beyond early childhood. The participants were 41 mother 12preadolescent child nonclinical dyads. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Child Attachment Interview (CAI) were administered to the mothers and their children, respectively, to evaluate the frequency and the quality of their mental state talk. The AAI transcripts were coded according to the Reflective Functioning Scale. Analyses revealed a clear albeit complex relationship between the mentalizing abilities of mothers and their preadolescent children. The correlations between the mental state talk of mothers and children were generally limited. In contrast, children\u2019s use of mental terms was significantly predicted by maternal education and maternal reflective functioning, whereas the production of markers of uncertainty in children was associated with the mothers\u2019 use of markers of uncertainty