Reflective functioning and dissociative experiences: A comparison study between adolescents at “high-risk” of psychosis and healthy controls
# Background Despite the established contribution to psychological well-being in young subjects, the investigation of reflective functioning and dissociative experiences in help-seekers adolescents still appears an unmet need. # Objective The study aimed to assess reflective functioning and disso...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Open Medical Publishing
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Health Psychology Research |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.88937 |
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| Summary: | # Background
Despite the established contribution to psychological well-being in young subjects, the investigation of reflective functioning and dissociative experiences in help-seekers adolescents still appears an unmet need.
# Objective
The study aimed to assess reflective functioning and dissociative symptoms in help-seekers adolescents, and compare them to gender-matched healthy controls.
# Methods
The Reflecting Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) was used to investigate mentalizing; the Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale (A-DES) was used to explore dissociative symptoms.
# Results
The study involved 102 adolescents (mean age 18.06 ± 1.78 years), split into "help-seekers" (N= 51; mean age 19 ± 1.98 years) and healthy controls (N= 51; mean age 17.12 ± 0.84). "Help-seekers" adolescents showed lower RFQ-certainty scores (mean 3.39 ± 2.47), compared to healthy controls (mean 6.73 ± 5.01). Furthermore, "help-seekers" adolescents reported higher scores on RFQ-uncertainty (mean 7.73 ± 4.38), compared to healthy controls (mean 5.14 ± 4.17), which indicates a greater lack of knowledge about mental states (hypomentalizing). Eventually, "help-seekers" adolescents showed significantly worse dissociative symptoms (A-DES total mean score 3.49 ± 2.04), compared to healthy controls (A-DES total mean score 2.06 ± 1.43).
# Conclusion
The importance of an assessment in early adolescence denotes a topic of increasing concern, in order to identify failures in reflective functioning and the onset of dissociative experiences among help-seekers adolescents, toward the implementation of tailored psychological interventions. |
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| ISSN: | 2420-8124 |