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Title ROLE OF MENTALIZATION AND EPISTEMIC TRUST IN LINKING ADOLESCENTS' ATTACHMENT AND BORDERLINE PERSONALITY FEATURES

Author(s) Fareeha Naureen

Abstract Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition that typically emerges during adolescence, and while its exact causes remain unclear, research indicates that difficulties in attachment and impairments in mentalization may significantly contribute to the development of BPD features in youth. The main objective of the present study was to analyze the relationships between adolescents' parental attachment patterns, mentalization abilities, and epistemic trust, and how these factors play their role in the evolution of borderline personality features. The research sample consisted of 500 adolescents (boys=238, girls=262) aged 13-18 years old (M=15.72, SD=1.45 years). Responses were collected using convenient sampling from different public sector schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. In the first phase of the study the English version of questionnaires was translated using Brislin method and then pilot tested to check the understanding and appropriateness of these measures for Pakistani sample (N=100). Adolescent Anxiety and Avoidance Attachment Inventory (Moretti & Obsuth, 2009), Borderline Personality Feature Scale (BFPS-11; Sharp et al., 2014), The Mentalization Scale (Dimitrijevic et al., 2018) and Epistemic trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (Saunders et al., 2021) were used to measure the study variables. Results indicated that positive correlation exists between anxious attachment of adolescents (both father and mother) and borderline personality features. Regression analysis revealed that epistemic trust and mentalization are the significant negative predictors of borderline personality features in adolescents. Mentalization and epistemic trusts emerged as the significant mediators. Fathers’ and mothers’ attachment anxiety was found to be significant for family type where adolescents in nuclear family type reported higher attachment anxiety whereas father attachment avoidance for adolescents’ whose mother are working women is relatively higher than the mothers who are house wives. Girls scored higher than boys for fathers’ and mothers’ attachment anxiety. The findings should be taken as a call to Pakistan's policymakers, clinicians, and researchers to develop proper screening and mentalization and trust-based management protocols for the early treatments and intervention for adolescents.

Type Thesis/Dissertation MS

Faculty Social Sciences

Department Psychology

Language English

Publication Date 2024-12-30

Subject Psychology

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