June 2018
·
63 Reads
Mentalization refers to a process of mental representation, elaboration, and interpretation of one’s and others’ mental contents (e.g., beliefs, emotions, intentions, needs) and openness towards these. Recently two instruments with good psychometric properties were developed to measure this construct through self-report: the Reflective Function Questionnaire (RFQ) and the Mental States Task (MST). The RFQ assesses a stable capacity for reflective functioning while MST measures situational ability for reflective thinking. Although both scales fit within the definition of mentalization, they seem to grasp different aspects of the construct. Our objective is to validate both measures to European Portuguese. We will include at least 200 participants, recruited in the different faculties of the University of Porto, among students and staff (It is not planned to use clinical population in this study). Translation will follow the forward-backward-forward procedure. Confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to test the scales’ structure. Convergent and divergent validity will be tested with instruments measuring similar constructs. We expect to confirm the original structure of both scales and their convergent and divergent validity. We also intend to explore where the scales overlap and where they measure different aspects of mentalization. This study will contribute with the adaption to European Portuguese of relevant instruments to the study of mentalization and will offer insights on where both scales overlap, complement and differentiate from each other, helping future researchers to choose the scale that better suits their needs.