Analysis of the mediating effect of mentalization on the relationship between attachment styles and emotion dysregulation

Parada-Fernández, Pamela; Herrero-Fernández, David; Oliva-Macías, Mireia; Rohwer, Heidi

doi:10.1111/sjop.12717

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Mentalizing appears to have a unique significant relationship with emotion dysregulation. On the one hand, a robust and balanced capacity to mentalize protects the individual from dysregulating experiences; on the other hand, dysregulation, in particular dysregulating stimulation of the attachment systems, can undermine the capacity to mentalize (Marszał & Jańczak, 2018 ; Parada‐Fernández et al, 2021 ). Contrary to the theoretical and empirical literature, mentalizing and trust variables did not emerge as having a significant relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescence in lockdown: The protective role of mentalizing and epistemic trust

et al. 2022

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Objective Mentalizing is the ability to interpret one's own and others' behavior as driven by intentional mental states. Epistemic trust (openness to interpersonally transmitted information) has been associated with mentalizing. Balanced mentalizing abilities allow people to cope with external and internal stressors. Studies show that social isolation imposed by the COVID‐19 pandemic was highly stressful for most people, especially for adolescents. Here we examine whether mentalizing and epistemic trust were protective factors in relation to emotional distress during the lockdown. Method A total of 131 nonclinical adolescents, aged between 12 and 18 years, were evaluated during the lockdown using the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for Youth, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Perceived Stress Scale, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Results Results from network analysis showed that epistemic trust and mentalizing were negatively associated with perceived stress and emotion dysregulation. Epistemic trust in fathers was associated with level of perceived stress, and epistemic trust in mothers with emotion dysregulation. Conclusion These findings suggest that epistemic trust and the capacity to mentalize were low in adolescents during lockdown, and this was associated with high levels of stress. However, robust levels of epistemic trust and mentalizing may have acted as protective factors that buffered individuals from the risk of emotional dysregulation during the lockdown.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescence in lockdown: The protective role of mentalizing and epistemic trust

et al. 2022

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“…This potential correlation warrants further exploration in subsequent research. Moreover, given that a mediating effect of mentalization between attachment style and both emotion dysregulation [ 68 ] and psychopathology [ 69 ] has been demonstrated, future research should delve deeper into exploring the relationships between mentalization, attachment style, and internet-related addictions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social media addiction: associations with attachment style, mental distress, and personality

Eichenberg,

Schneider,

Rumpl

2024

BMC Psychiatry

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Background Social media bring not only benefits but also downsides, such as addictive behavior. While an ambivalent closed insecure attachment style has been prominently linked with internet and smartphone addiction, a similar analysis for social media addiction is still pending. This study aims to explore social media addiction, focusing on variations in attachment style, mental distress, and personality between students with and without problematic social media use. Additionally, it investigates whether a specific attachment style is connected to social media addiction. Methods Data were collected from 571 college students (mean age = 23.61, SD = 5.00, 65.5% female; response rate = 20.06%) via an online survey administered to all enrolled students of Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversity Vienna. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) differentiated between students addicted and not addicted to social media. Attachment style was gauged using the Bielefeld Partnership Expectations Questionnaire (BFPE), mental distress by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), and personality by the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). Results Of the total sample, 22.7% of students were identified as addicted to social media. For personality, it was demonstrated that socially media addicted (SMA) students reported significantly higher values on the neuroticism dimension compared to not socially media addicted (NSMA) students. SMA also scored higher across all mental health dimensions—depressiveness, anxiety, and somatization. SMA more frequently exhibited an insecure attachment style than NSMA, specifically, an ambivalent closed attachment style. A two-step cluster analysis validated the initial findings, uncovering three clusters: (1) secure attachment, primarily linked with fewer occurrences of social media addiction and a lower incidence of mental health problems; (2) ambivalent closed attachment, generally associated with a higher rate of social media addiction and increased levels of mental health problems; and (3) ambivalent clingy attachment, manifesting a medium prevalence of social media addiction and a relatively equitable mental health profile. Conclusions The outcomes are aligned with previous research on internet and smartphone addiction, pointing out the relevance of an ambivalent closed attachment style in all three contexts. Therapeutic interventions for social media addiction should be developed and implemented considering these findings.

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“…However, the employment of deactivating strategies may enable individuals to exclude distressing feelings associated with negative attachment experiences from awareness while still retaining the capacity to cognitively process their own and others’ mental states, given that distress levels are not excessively elevated [ 33 ]. There is consistent evidence showing that insecure attachment, specifically preoccupied and fearful attachment styles, are associated with increased failures in mentalizing [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insecure Minds through the Looking Glass: The Mediating Role of Mentalization in the Relationships between Adult Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use

Santoro,

Costanzo,

Franceschini

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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Research shows that insecure attachment styles and failures in mentalizing are associated with increased problematic social media use (PSMU). This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of failures in mentalizing in the relationships between attachment styles and PSMU within a large sample of individuals from the community. The study involved the participation of 3600 adult volunteers (2312 females, 64.2%) aged between 18 and 60 years old (M = 29.92; SD = 10.68). Participants completed measures to assess socio-demographics, adult attachment styles, mentalization, and PSMU. Findings showed that secure and dismissing attachment styles predicted reduced levels of PSMU, and that preoccupied and fearful attachment styles predicted increased levels of PSMU. The relationships between adult attachment styles and PSMU were mediated by failures in mentalizing. Thus, individuals with preoccupied and fearful attachment styles may excessively resort to social media as a means of coping with unprocessed mental states. Clinical interventions that focus on improving mentalizing abilities and promoting the adoption of appropriate self-regulation strategies might reduce maladaptive engagement in social media.

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Analysis of the mediating effect of mentalization on the relationship between attachment styles and emotion dysregulation

Cited by 15 publications

References 68 publications

Adolescence in lockdown: The protective role of mentalizing and epistemic trust

Adolescence in lockdown: The protective role of mentalizing and epistemic trust

Social media addiction: associations with attachment style, mental distress, and personality

Insecure Minds through the Looking Glass: The Mediating Role of Mentalization in the Relationships between Adult Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use

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