Parental mind-mindedness in applied clinical practice: applications in psychology services and foster care

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dc.contributor.advisorLarkin, Fionnuala
dc.contributor.advisorVeale, Angela
dc.contributor.advisorexternalO'Rourke, Conall
dc.contributor.authorO'Connor, Nicoleen
dc.contributor.funderHealth Service Executiveen
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-23T14:57:06Z
dc.date.available2026-09-23T14:57:06Z
dc.date.issued2026-04-28en
dc.date.submitted2026-04-28
dc.description.abstractMind-mindedness, a caregiver’s propensity to treat their child as an individual with their own mental states, has a growing evidence base in developmental psychology, linking it to attachment security and a range of child outcomes. However, little is known about how it is applied by practitioners in their work with parents and children, or about the factors that shape it in more complex caregiving contexts such as foster care. This thesis attempted to address these gaps through two empirical studies. The first study explored practitioner psychologists’ awareness, understanding and application of parental mind-mindedness in child and family services in Ireland (N=61), using an online survey analysed through a mix of descriptive statistics, Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA), and Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). Only 7% of participants spontaneously identified it as a construct they are aware of, and only 5% reported using it explicitly in their practice. Practitioners drew extensively on closely related attachment and mentalisation-based approaches, often using these interchangeably with mind-mindedness, reflecting considerable conceptual confusion in practice between these related constructs. Results are discussed with reference to implications for future research and practice.The second study examined factors associated with mind-mindedness among foster carers (N=67), including placement characteristics, parenting stress and reasons for fostering. Placement factors were the strongest predictors of mind-mindedness, with fostering alone, older child age, and longer placements associated with lower mind-mindedness. Needs-based motivations were associated with more negative mind-mindedness, while family/relational reasons were associated with lower levels of negative mind-mindedness. Results are discussed with regard to ways to support relationships between foster carers and children in their care. Together, these findings contribute to understanding how mind-mindedness is reflected in applied contexts and help to inform future research examining its potential role in clinical practice and high-risk caregiving contexts.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationO'Connor, N. 2026. Parental mind-mindedness in applied clinical practice: applications in psychology services and foster care. DClinPsych Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage322
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19322
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2026, Nicole O'Connor.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectParental mind-mindedness
dc.subjectClinical practice
dc.subjectMentalisation
dc.subjectImplementation
dc.subjectPractitioner psychologists
dc.subjectParental reflective functioning (PRF)
dc.subjectFoster care
dc.subjectParenting stress
dc.subjectReasons for fostering
dc.subjectChildren-in-care
dc.subjectPlacement
dc.titleParental mind-mindedness in applied clinical practice: applications in psychology services and foster care
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelPractitioner Doctorateen
dc.type.qualificationnameDClinPsych - Doctor of Clinical Psychologyen
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