Mentalizing Mediates the Relation Between Attachment and Peer Problems Among Inpatient Adolescents

Evidence suggests that insecure attachment operates on daily life through anomalies in social cognitive processing. This study sought to evaluate the relation between one type of social-cognitive processing, mentalizing, and attachment insecurity in inpatient adolescents, examining how both relate to peer problems. The aims were to examine (1) attachment-based differences in mentalizing, (2) attachment-based differences in peer functioning, and (3) whether attachment-based differences in peer functioning are explained by differences in mentalizing. Two-hundred and seventy-one adolescents (Mage = 15.95 years, SD = 1.43, 62.0% female) were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Attachment was evaluated using an interview-based measure, mentalizing was assessed with an experimental task, and peer problems were assessed using two measures. Findings revealed attachment-related group differences in mentalizing and peer problems. Mentalizing mediated the relation between disorganized attachment and peer problems. This study contributes to knowledge of how attachment relates to mentalizing and interpersonal functioning.