Child-focused maternal mentalization: A systematic review of measurement tools from birth to three

Although the relevance of the concept of maternal mentalization is widely accepted in the field of attachment and theory of mind research and practice, to date no systematic review of measurement tools capturing the concept exists. The present review addresses this lack by systematically searching and summarizing available instruments and providing a detailed content description. Instruments were identified by searching electronic databases as well as employing additional search strategies. The number of identified instruments was n = 15. In summary the instruments can be classified in interview and observational tools. To date no questionnaire exists capturing the concept. Tools vary greatly in theoretical foundation, psychometric evaluation, availability, and specific content domains.