Implicit Aspects of Relationships as Predictors of Adjustment in Middle Childhood; Mutual Recognition and Role Confusion.

Explicit and implicit aspects of the mother-child relationship in middle childhood are thought to contribute to the development of child individuation in the context of close and protective relations. Implicit (nonverbal, procedural and non-conscious) aspects of the mother-child relationship were examined as predictors of children's adjustment through the Joint Painting Procedure (JPP). A multi-method research design was implemented to assess the implicit interactions between mother and child in terms of mutual recognition and role confusion beyond the child's temperament (effortful control) on a sample of 87 Jewish Israelis aged 9–12 and their mothers. The explicit aspects of the relationships were assessed on validated relationship questionnaires completed by both mothers and children. A high level of mutual recognition and a low level of role confusion as expressed in the Joint Painting Procedure were associated with better academic adaptation, and a low level of role confusion was associated with social adaptation. The implicit aspects predicted children's adjustment beyond the measures of explicit aspects and temperament. These findings thus point to the importance of assessing and treating implicit aspects of relationships. Highlights: The significance of implicit aspects of the mother-child relationship as predictors of children's adjustment in middle childhood were examined in terms of Mutual Recognition (MR) and Role Confusion (RC). The Joint Painting Procedure (JPP) a new art-based assessment tool was used to measure implicit ongoing interactions between mother and child. A high level of MR and a low level of RC on the JPP were associated with better academic adaptation. A low level of RC was associated with better social adaptation as reported by homeroom teachers beyond the prediction of explicit aspects of the mother-child relations and children's temperament (effortful control) as reported by mothers in questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]