Paternal resolution of diagnosis and attachment representations of children with intellectual developmental disorder in Limpopo Province, South Africa :the role of parental mentalising and emotional availability

Abstract

Parenting a child with an Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD) involves enduring psychological and emotional challenges. While research increasingly supports the positive impact of paternal involvement on the developmental outcomes of children with IDD, the role of fathers remains underexplored, largely due to historically gendered parenting norms. This study examined the relationship between paternal resolution of diagnosis and the child’s attachment representation, as well as the potential mediating roles of parental mentalising and emotional availability. A quantitative approach was employed using a cross-sectional correlational design with a sample of 60 father-child dyads from Limpopo Province, South Africa, recruited through a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview (RDI), Attachment Story Completion Task (ASCT), Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), and the Lums Emotional Availability of Parents (LEAP) scale. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses (Chi-square tests, Fisher’s Exact Tests, and regression models) were conducted using SPSS. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was performed in R (Mclust package) to identify distinct parental reflective functioning (PRF) profiles based on PRFQ subscales, yielding three profiles: Healthy Reflective Functioning, Hyper-mentalising Reflective Functioning, and Moderate Reflective Functioning. A serial mediation model was tested to examine whether PRF profiles and emotional availability mediated the relationship between parental resolution status and child attachment representation. Results showed a statistically significant association between paternal resolution of diagnosis and the child’s attachment representation. However, paternal mentalising and emotional availability did not mediate this relationship. These results underscore the psychological importance of diagnostic resolution in fostering secure attachment and highlight the need for further research into the mechanisms that underpin this association.