Introduction: Adolescence is a critical period for the development of mentalizingthe imaginative capacity to understand one's own and others' behaviour in terms of underlying mental states. Yet, factors and mechanisms underlying individual differences in adolescent mentalizing remain poorly understood. This exploratory study examined whether and how a) age and gender and b) psychological difficulties correlate with mentalizing performance in adolescents from the general population.Methods: 89 adolescents from Geneva, Switzerland (54 females, age 12-17 years) completed a computerized task of mentalizing and a self-report measure of psychopathology.Results: Mentalizing performance improved with age. Males showed lower scores on the mentalizing task and made more hypermentalizing errors than females. The main findings revealed a negative association between mentalizing performance and self-reported attention problems. Post-hoc analyses further demonstrated that self-reported attentional difficulties were particularly associated with weaker scores on items requiring mentalizing about intentions, while self-reported withdrawal/depression symptoms were particularly associated with weaker scores on items requiring mentalizing about emotions and thoughts. Conclusion:The present study highlights a negative association between attentional difficulties and mentalizing performance in community adolescents. Moreover, it provides preliminary evidence suggesting that age, gender and psychological difficulties can be distinctively associated with patterns of correct and incorrect mentalizing in community adolescents. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

The mirror-gazing task (MGT) experimentally induces illusions, ranging from simple color changes in the specular image of oneself, to depersonalization-like anomalous self-experiences (ASE) as in experiencing one's specular image as someone else. The objective was to characterize how connectivity in resting-state networks (RSNs) differed in adolescents reporting such depersonalization-like ASEs during the MGT, in a cross-sectional (Y1) and in a longitudinal manner (a year after). 75 adolescents were recruited; for the cross-sectional analysis, participants were split into 2 groups: those who reported depersonalization-like ASEs on the MGT (ASE), and those who did not (NoASE). For the longitudinal analysis, participants were split into 3 groups whether they experienced MGT depersonalization-like ASEs: only at Y1 (Remitters), both times (Persisters), or never (Controls). Participants also filled out self-reports assessing schizotypal personality (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire [SPQ]), and underwent resting-state functional MRI procedure (rs-fMRI). A group level Independent Component Analysis (ICA) was conducted and voxel-wise inter-group differences within RSNs were examined. The rs-fMRI analysis revealed lower connectivity of specific visual areas within the primary visual network (PVN), and higher connectivity of regions within the Default Mode Network (DMN) when contrasting the ASE and NoASE groups. The areas that were atypically connected within the PVN further presented differential pattern of connectivity in the longitudinal analysis. Atypical connectivity of visual area within the DMN at Y1 was associated with higher scores on the disorganized dimension of schizotypy at the second evaluation. The present study uncovers a subtle signature in the RSNs of non-clinical adolescents who experienced task-induced ASEs.

Objectives: Reflective functioning (RF) impairments, characterized by the inability to understand behaviors in terms of mental states, have been linked to different psychological problems. However, the mechanisms through which RF impairments are linked to conduct problems need further investigation. The present study aims to explore, using network analyses, how different RF impairments relate to specific conduct problems manifestations, and to examine the role played by hyperactivity/ inattention, emotional, and peer problems in these relationships, in a sample of 1664 Spanish adolescents from the general population. Method: We estimated a graphical LASSO network connecting different RF impairments and the different conduct, emotional, peers, and hyperactivity/inattention problems. We examined the most central nodes in the network and the shortest paths between RF impairments and conduct problems manifestations. Next, we computed directed acyclic graphs (DAG) in order to gain insight about the possible directions of the prediction between the variables. Results: Shortest path analyses and DAG suggest direct connections between RF impairments and conduct problems, but also that impulsivity, depressed mood, and bully victimization play a mediating role in these relationships. DAG indicates that RF impairments lead to different psychological difficulties. Conclusions: The findings suggest different pathways connecting RF impairments and conduct problems. The results find echo in the mentalization-based theory highlighting that emotion dysregulations, such as anger proneness, play an important role in connection RF impairments and different conduct problems. RF impairments appear to be a transdiagnostic process associated with different psychological difficulties, representing an important target in detection and intervention strategies.

Aim: Schizotypal trait expression and mentalizing impairments represent key factors associated with increased vulnerability for schizophrenia. In the current study, we analysed the nature of associations linking specific schizotypal personality features to mentalizing difficulties during adolescence. Furthermore, we examined the extent to which mentalizing difficulties mediate the relationship between schizotypal trait features and self-reported thought problems.Methods: One hundred and five community adolescents (M age = 15.72; SD = 1.91) completed a recently developed self-report measure of mentalizing (Reflective Functioning Questionnaire [RFQ]), evaluating the degree of certainty (RFQc-scale) and uncertainty (RFQu-scale) with which individuals utilize mental state information to understand their own and others' behaviour. High scores on the RFQu-scale reflect poor usage of mental state information, while high scores on the RFQc-scale capture adaptive levels of certainty about mental states. Self-report questionnaires were also used to assess schizotypal trait expression, thought problems and symptoms of anxiety/depression.Results: Linear regression models indicated that schizotypal features of social anxiety and odd speech accounted for increased RFQu scores, while odd speech also accounted for reduced RFQc scores. RFQu partially mediated the effects of social anxiety and odd speech on the level of thought problems in the sample.Conclusions: Present findings suggest that schizotypal features that impede interpersonal communication during adolescence are linked to difficulties in mental state understanding. Our study also provides original data suggesting that the effects of social anxiety and odd speech on psychosis-risk may partially depend upon the level of mentalizing uncertainty. Mentalizing difficulties may constitute important clinical assessment and early prevention treatment targets in adolescents who demonstrate schizotypal features.

Externalizing behaviors (EBs) pertain to a diverse set of aggressive, antisocial, and potentially destructive behaviors directed toward the external environment. They range from nonclinical to clinical in severity, associated with opposition, aggression, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, and are considered a risk factor for the emergence of psychopathology later in adulthood. Focusing on community adolescents (N = 102; 49 female and 53 male adolescents; age range 12–19 years), this study aimed to explore the relations between EBs and the cortical thickness of regions of interest as well as to identify possible risk markers that could improve understanding of the EB construct. Using a mixed cross-sectional and prospective design (1-year follow-up), we report specific associations with cortical thickness of the left insular, right orbitofrontal, and left anterior cingulate cortex. Specifically, thinner left insular and right orbitofrontal cortex was associated with higher EBs, and thinner left anterior cingulate cortex predicted less reduction in EBs 1 year later. In addition, further examination of the aggression and rule-breaking subscales of the Youth/Adult Self-Report, used to assess EBs, revealed specific associations with insular subregions. Findings suggest that cortical structure morphology may significantly relate to the expression and maintenance of EBs within the general population of adolescents.

Objectives: Reflective functioning (RF) impairments, characterized by the inability to understand behaviors in terms of mental states, have been linked to different psychological problems. However, the mechanisms through which RF impairments are linked to conduct problems need further investigation. The present study aims to explore, using network analyses, how different RF impairments relate to specific conduct problems manifestations, and to examine the role played by hyperactivity/ inattention, emotional, and peer problems in these relationships, in a sample of 1664 Spanish adolescents from the general population. Method: We estimated a graphical LASSO network connecting different RF impairments and the different conduct, emotional, peers, and hyperactivity/inattention problems. We examined the most central nodes in the network and the shortest paths between RF impairments and conduct problems manifestations. Next, we computed directed acyclic graphs (DAG) in order to gain insight about the possible directions of the prediction between the variables. Results: Shortest path analyses and DAG suggest direct connections between RF impairments and conduct problems, but also that impulsivity, depressed mood, and bully victimization play a mediating role in these relationships. DAG indicates that RF impairments lead to different psychological difficulties. Conclusions: The findings suggest different pathways connecting RF impairments and conduct problems. The results find echo in the mentalization-based theory highlighting that emotion dysregulations, such as anger proneness, play an important role in connection RF impairments and different conduct problems. RF impairments appear to be a transdiagnostic process associated with different psychological difficulties, representing an important target in detection and intervention strategies.

IntroductionThe Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire for Adolescents (MCQ-A) measures individual differences of metacognitive beliefs and monitoring thought to be involved in the onset and maintenance of psychological disorders, especially in those involving anxiety. This assessment tool has been employed in research and clinical settings involving French-speaking adolescents, but appropriate validation has yet to be conducted. This article aims to first validate the francophone version of the MCQ-Af using measures sensitive to the expression of anxiety, and secondly, to examine the influence of age and gender on metacognitive beliefs, anxiety and their links.Method 214 adolescents (114 females) between 13 and 17 completed the MCQ-Af (French version) as well as the Revised-Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (R-CMAS), French version, to assess anxiety manifestations. Structural validity was examined with confirmatory factor analyses. Three models were compared to the higher order five factor model proposed in the original validation study. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also performed. Student's t tests as well as simple and stepwise regressions were conducted to assess for age and gender.

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that antisocial individuals present impairment in social cognitive processing, more specifically in emotion recognition (ER) and perspective taking (PT). The first aim of the present study was to investigate the recognition of a wide range of emotional expressions and visual PT capacities in a group of incarcerated male adolescents in comparison to a matched group of community adolescents. Secondly, we sought to explore the relationship between these two mechanisms in relation to psychopathic traits.MethodsForty-five male adolescents (22 incarcerated adolescents (Mage = 16.52, SD = 0.96) and 23 community adolescents (Mage = 16.43, SD = 1.41)) participated in the study. ER abilities were measured using a dynamic and multimodal task that requires the participants to watch short videos in which trained actors express 14 emotions. PT capacities were examined using a task recognized and proven to be sensitive to adolescent development, where participants had to follow the directions of another person whilst taking into consideration his perspective.ResultsWe found a main effect of group on emotion recognition scores. In comparison to the community adolescents, the incarcerated adolescents presented lower recognition of three emotions: interest, anxiety and amusement. Analyses also revealed significant impairments in PT capacities in incarcerated adolescents. In addition, incarcerated adolescents’ PT scores were uniquely correlated to their scores on recognition of interest.ConclusionsThe results corroborate previously reported impairments in ER and PT capacities, in the incarcerated adolescents. The study also indicates an association between impairments in the recognition of interest and impairments in PT.