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Using the validated Reflective Functioning Questionnaire to investigate mentalizing in individuals presenting with
Angie Cucchi1, James A Hampton1, Alesia Moulton-Perkins2
1Department of Psychology, City, University of London, London, England, United Kingdom.
Peerj
|November 7, 2018
Summary
Individuals with eating disorders and self-harm show greater impairment in mentalizing ability, impacting their capacity for abstract thought and therapeutic engagement. This highlights the need for targeted interventions for this complex comorbidity.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Previous research linked eating disorders (ED) and self-harm (SH) comorbidity to impulse-control issues.
- Recent findings suggest a lack of mentalizing may underlie severe, treatment-resistant symptoms in this subgroup.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare mentalizing ability in individuals with ED only, ED with concurrent SH, and a control group.
- To investigate the role of mentalizing deficits in the ED and SH comorbidity.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, questionnaire-based, between-groups design.
- Comparison of mentalizing measures across three participant groups.
Main Results:
- Individuals with ED and concurrent SH exhibited significantly greater mentalizing ability impairment compared to those with ED only.
- Both ED groups showed significant differences from the control group.
- The comorbid group displayed the lowest hypermentalizing and highest hypomentalizing scores.
Conclusions:
- Concurrent ED and SH are associated with more severe mentalizing impairments, including difficulties in abstract thinking and a concretization of inner experience.
- These impairments can hinder therapeutic engagement and the initiation of change.
- Findings underscore the clinical significance of mentalizing deficits in managing complex ED and SH presentations.
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