Cognitive emotion regulation strategies as mediators of the relationship between mentalization ability and depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Abstract

Objectives: Sharp and Fonagy's conception was framework for a hypothesis regarding mentalization deficits as predictors of depressive disorders in adolescence. According to the theory, the mediators of this relationship would be the child's emotion regulation processes.

Methods: The basis for planning and data analysis was correlation-regression model. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a non-clinical group of 204 adolescents - primary and secondary school students. The Polish versions of the following research tools were used: CDI-2 questionnaire by Kovacs, Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) by Fonagy, Hypermentalization Questionnaire by Sharp, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) by Garnefski and Kraaij.

Results: Data analyses revealed that the more compromised the ability to mentalize, the greater the severity of depressive symptoms, especially those related to emotional problems: negative mood and low self-esteem. All the diagnostic criteria of the disease are linked to a diminished ability to understand the world of experiences - one's own and those of others. Both hypomentalization and hypermentalization are significant predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescents, with the mediator of this relationship being the triad of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies: self-blame, rumination, and catastrophizing.

Conclusions: Self-blame constitutes the most common strategy combined with all types of mentalization deficits as well as all symptoms of depression. Whereas catastrophizing constitutes a regulation strategy that is mostly combined with one type of mentalization deficits.The obtained results require further research determining the conditions under which the exaggerated sense of guilt is associated with the occurrence of symptoms of psychopathol- ogy in adolescents.