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. 2025 Feb 28;15(3):288.
doi: 10.3390/bs15030288.

Violence in the Family of Origin, Reflective Functioning, and the Perpetration of Isolating Behaviors in Intimate Relationships: A Mediation Model

Tommaso Trombetta  1 , Maria Noemi Paradiso  1 , Fabrizio Santoniccolo  1 , Luca Rollè  1
Affiliations

Violence in the Family of Origin, Reflective Functioning, and the Perpetration of Isolating Behaviors in Intimate Relationships: A Mediation Model

Tommaso Trombetta et al. Behav Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: The intergenerational transmission of violence from the family of origin to couple relationships in adulthood is well-known in the scientific literature. However, the perpetration of isolating behaviors (IBs) is still poorly explored, and additional studies are required to comprehend the mechanisms that intervene in the association between Violence in the family of origin (VFO) and isolating behaviors. Drawing from Fonagy's mentalization model, which describes reflective functioning as the capacity to conceive mental states as explanations for one's own and other people's behavior, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of reflective functioning in the link between VFO and the perpetration of isolating behaviors.

Methods: Online self-report questionnaires were completed by 663 Italian participants (66.8% women; Mage = 28.4, SD = 8.5) who were in a couple relationship in the last 12 months. A mediation model was tested to assess the direct and indirect effects of VFO on the perpetration of isolating behaviors through certainty and uncertainty of mentalization.

Results: A direct association was found between VFO and the perpetration of isolating behaviors. Furthermore, we found an indirect effect of VFO on the perpetration of the perpetration of isolating behaviors, mediated by the certainty and uncertainty of mentalization.

Conclusions: The results demonstrated the mediating role of reflective functioning in the intergenerational transmission of violence and support its implication in the perpetration of isolating behaviors in couple relationships. Although these results are preliminary, they can provide useful data at the theoretical and clinical levels.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; isolating behaviors; mentalization; perpetration; reflective functioning; violence in the family of origin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized model. Note. VFO = Violence in the family of origin; RFQ_C = Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-certainty; RFQ_U = Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-uncertainty; IB = The perpetration of isolating behaviors. Positive and negative signs are indicative of the relationship between the variables. The solid arrow indicates the direct relationship between the study variables. The dashed arrow indicates the indirect relationship between VFO and IB mediated by RFQ_C and RFQ_U.
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