Comparative analysis of the theory of mind indicators in young children from baby homes with different social-emotional environment and biological families

 
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Abstract

The article presents a study of the theory of mind in young children depending of characteristics of their socio-emotional environment. The participants were children without medical and biological risk factors from three Saint Petersburg baby homes, one of which provided care as usual (n = 49 (21 boys) aged M(SD) = 26.0(10.84) months, from 12 to 49 months); the other received training only intervention, that increased caregivers’ sensitivity (n = 45 (23), 18.7(9.12), 11–50 months); the third had training plus structural changes intervention, that raised caregivers’ sensitivity and consistency (n = 82 (37), 23.9(12.92), 3–50 months); and children without institutional experience from biological families (n = 48 (28), 27.0(10.16), 12–49 months) with mothers as primary caregivers. To assess the theory of mind in children the relevant items of the personal-social scale of the Battelle Developmental Inventory was
used. Results suggested a significant difference in the theory of mind level in children within 12 to 24 months age range depending on the socio-emotional caregiving environment (p = 0.034) with a lower level in no intervention baby home compared with biological families (p = 0.04). The results of the study are discussed in connection with the influence of the environmental characteristics on the understanding of the mental world by young children, as well as in relation to the structure of the theory of mind indicators in the group of children from the socio-emotional deprivation institutional environment.

General Information

Keywords: theory of mind, young children, baby home, socio-emotional environment, deprivation, sensitivity, consistency, biological family

Journal rubric: Empirical and Experimental Research

Article type: scientific article

Funding. The reported study was funded by Russian Science Foundation, project no. 22-28-00626; https://rscf .ru/en/project/22-28-00626

Published

For citation: Mukhamedrahimov, R.Z., Sergienko, E.A., Chernego, D.I., Shabalina, E.V., Kagarmanov, D.I., Palmov, O.I., Arintsina, I.A. (2025). Comparative analysis of the theory of mind indicators in young children from baby homes with different social-emotional environment and biological families . Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Psychology, 15(2), 186–197. (In Russ.). URL: https://psyjournals.ru/en/journals/vspu_psychology/archive/2025_n2/Mukhamedrakhimov_et_al (viewed: 05.12.2025)

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Information About the Authors

Rifkat Z. Mukhamedrahimov, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of Division of Child and Parent Mental Health and Early Intervention, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Psychology for Research, Saint-Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3532-5019, e-mail: r.muhamedrahimov@spbu.ru

Elena A. Sergienko, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Principal researcher, Laboratory of Psychology of the development of the subject in normal and post-traumatic states, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4068-9116, e-mail: elenas13@mail.ru

Daria I. Chernego, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Research Scientist of Department of Child and Parent Mental Health and Early Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9166-5435, e-mail: chernego@gmail.com

Ekaterina V. Shabalina, Assistant Department of Child and Parent Mental Health and Early Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, St. Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5436-3072, e-mail: e.shabalina@spbu.ru

Dinar I. Kagarmanov, Postgraduate Student, St Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3097-0863, e-mail: kagdinar@gmail.com

Oleg I. Palmov, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Associate Professor of the Department of Mental Health and Early Support for Children and Parents, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5837-4000, e-mail: oleg_palmov@mail.ru

Irina A. Arintsina, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Assistant Professor of the Department of Child and Parent Mental Health and Early Intervention, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5746-1287, e-mail: arinz@mail.ru

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