چکیده (انگلیسی):

The representational world of the mother has long been at the center of clinical discussions regarding the quality of parenting. However,
assessing mother’s representation of role-confusion in her relation with her child has yet to be investigated, even if parent-child role-confusion
can lead to maladaptive pathways. As part of a larger study we developed the Maternal Role-Confusion Scale (P ARC) to assess role-confusion
in the way a parent talks about her relationship with the child on the Experience of Caregiving Interview (ECI). The ECI, a semi structured
interview probing the mothers’ representations of her relationship with her child (Solomon, J., & George, C. (1996). Defining the caregiving
system: T oward a theory of caregiving. Infant Mental Health Journal, 17(3), 183-197), is very clinically relevant and parts of the interview can
easily be adapted for use in counselling and psychotherapy settings. Here, we first define role-confusion, its socio-economic and family
dynamic aspects, and its impact on child development and adulthood. We then present our Parental Role-Confusion coding Scale (P ARC).
Next we describe two profiles of role-confused mothers from our sample, as well as evidence validating these maternal responses as predictors
of role-confused distortions in observed interactions with the child. We call attention to the dimension of sexualisation in the relationship, a
high indicator of Role-Confusion. This emerging body of work points to the importance of being alert to indicators of role-confusion in the
clinical setting. The findings can inform and enrich counselling and psychology practice by familiarizing clinicians with how to listen for indicators
of role-confusion while talking with parents about their relationship with the child.