| Abstrakt: |
Background Increasing evidence supports that mentalization deficits may have a role in the genesis of young age depression; however, few studies examined this issue in clinical populations. Methods Outpatients aged 14-21, suffering from various psychiatric disorders, were assessed using the Mentalization Questionnaire ( MZQ), the Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ( CTQ), using data from age-matched healthy students for comparison. The relationship between CTQ, MZQ, and BDI scores was examined at the cross-sectional level, including mediation analyses, and longitudinally, in a subsample who underwent a psychotherapy intervention. Results Of 83 subjects, 33 (39.8%) had mentalization levels that were 1 standard deviation below those of comparison subjects. In the whole sample, the levels of mentalization were inversely associated with BDI ( r = −.68, p < .001) and CTQ scores ( r = −.30, p = .006). Moreover, MZQ scores mediated a large part of the effect of childhood trauma on depression (total effect: 10.6, 95% CI: 5.3, 15.9; direct effect: 6.5, 95% CI: 2.1, 10.8; indirect effect: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 7.4). This effect was almost entirely explained by the Affect Regulation subscale. In patients re-evaluated after four sessions ( n = 37), the decrease in BDI scores correlated with the increase in MZQ scores ( r = .40, p = .02). Conclusions In a juvenile clinical sample, deficits of mentalization abilities were associated with the severity of depression and explained part of the depressogenic effects of childhood trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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