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Systematic Review on Mentalization as Key Factor in Psychotherapy.

Jonas Lüdemann¹, Sven Rabung¹, Sylke Andreas¹

¹Institute of Psychology, University of Klagenfurt, Universitätsstr. 65-67, 9020 Klagenfurt am Woerthersee, Austria.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

|September 10, 2021

Summary

Mentalization is crucial for social learning and psychotherapy outcomes. Further research is needed to fully understand its role and how to adapt psychotherapies accordingly.

Keywords:

mentalization outcome psychotherapy reflective functioning systematic review

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychotherapy Research

Background:

Mentalization processes are highly relevant for social learning and appear important across all forms of psychotherapy.
The precise function of mentalization within psychotherapy remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To systematically review existing literature to determine if mentalization is related to therapeutic outcomes.
To investigate potential moderating, mediating, or predictive functions of mentalization in psychotherapy.

Main Methods:

A systematic review methodology was employed, involving an electronic database search.
The search identified 2567 records, with 10 studies ultimately included in the final synthesis.

Main Results:

Current psychotherapy research is in its early stages of investigating the impact of mentalization on treatment outcomes.
A limited number of studies, coupled with specific study designs and statistical analyses, suggest a potential role for mentalization in psychotherapy.

Conclusions:

More robust study designs are required to definitively establish the role of mentalization in psychotherapy.
While mentalization appears differently in various treatment modalities, patient's capacity for mentalization is relevant to the therapeutic process and may necessitate tailored psychotherapies.