A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Maltreatment and Mentalization in Middle Childhood

Theorists have recently argued that difficulties with mentalization (also described as theory of mind) may be an important mechanism linking childhood maltreatment to poor mental health outcomes. This systematic review examined evidence of the relationship between maltreatment exposure and difficulties with mentalization during the understudied period of middle childhood. A systematic search of Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, PsycInfo, MEDLINE, IBSS, and grey literature databases from 1st January 1980–22nd February 2024 was conducted ( n = 8156). Articles were eligible for inclusion if: (1) exposure to child maltreatment was reported; (2) the sample was mean age 5–12 years; (3) a measure of mentalization and/or theory of mind was used. 13 articles were included. Although the quality of literature and variety of methodologies precluded meta-analyses, 12 of the studies reported evidence of poorer mentalization/ theory of mind among maltreated children. These provisional findings are discussed with consideration of recent theoretical developments.