Dataset Information

The Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire: Validity data for adults and its association with severity of borderline personality disorder.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:Impairments in the ability to understand others and the self in terms of internal mental states (reflective functioning [RF] or mentalizing) are thought to play a key role in the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The first aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), a brief self-report measure of RF, by examining its factor structure with Principal Component Analyses (PCA), and correlations with constructs that should be theoretically related to RF. In addition, we investigated whether the RFQ could empirically distinguish between healthy controls and carefully diagnosed BPD patients using Research Operating Curve methods, and was related to severity of borderline pathology as measured with the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP), an observer-rated measure of BPD pathology. METHODS:An Italian translation of the RFQ was administered to a sample of 154 healthy controls and a clinical sample of 59 BPD patients diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II disorders. Clinical severity of BPD was assessed with the SWAP. Normal controls completed self-report inventories of constructs related to RF (mindfulness, empathy, Theory of Mind, alexithymia, and autistic traits). RESULTS:PCA confirmed the a priori factor structure in the Italian translation of the RFQ, showing two subscales that measure certainty and uncertainty about mental states, with satisfactory reliability and construct validity. These dimensions also distinguished BPD patients from healthy controls (p < 0.05). ROC analyses showed that the uncertainty subscale discriminated BPD patients from healthy individuals (area under the curve = 78%, cut of 4.5 points, sensitivity = 73%, specificity = 68%). Within the patient group, regression analyses showed uncertainty about mental states to have a significant unique contribution in predicting BPD severity (p < 0.05), explaining 12% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS:Results largely supported the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the RFQ. These findings also provide further evidence for the role of impairments in mentalizing and reinforce the rationale for offering mentalization-based interventions to individuals with this disorder.

SUBMITTER: Morandotti N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6211684 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire: Validity data for adults and its association with severity of borderline personality disorder.

Morandotti Niccolò N Brondino Natascia N Merelli Alessia A Boldrini Annalisa A De Vidovich Giulia Zelda GZ Ricciardo Sara S Abbiati Vera V Ambrosi Paolo P Caverzasi Edgardo E Fonagy Peter P Luyten Patrick P

PloS one 20181101 11

<h4>Introduction</h4>Impairments in the ability to understand others and the self in terms of internal mental states (reflective functioning [RF] or mentalizing) are thought to play a key role in the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The first aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), a brief self-report measure of RF, by examining its factor structure with Principal Component Analyses (PCA), and correlations with ...[more]

PMID: 30383803

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Project description:IntroductionMentalization or reflective functioning (RF) is the capacity to interpret oneself or the others in terms of internal mental states. Its failures have been linked to several mental disorders and interventions improving RF have a therapeutic effect. Mentalizing capacity of the parents influences the children's attachment. The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8) is a widely used tool for the assessment of RF. No instrument is available to assess general RF in Spanish-speaking samples. The aim of this study is to develop a Spanish version of the RFQ-8 and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the general population and in individuals with personality disorders.Methods602 non-clinical and 41 personality disordered participants completed a Spanish translation of the RFQ and a battery of self-reported questionnaires assessing several RF related constructs (alexithymia, perspective taking, identity diffusion and mindfulness), psychopathology (general and specific) and interpersonal problems. Temporal stability was tested in a non-clinical sub-sample of 113 participants.ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a one-factor structure in the Spanish version of the RFQ-8. RFQ-8 understood as a single scale was tested, with low scorings reflecting genuine mentalizing, and high scorings uncertainty. The questionnaire showed good internal consistence in both samples and moderate temporal stability in non-clinical sample. RFQ correlated significantly with identity diffusion, alexithymia, and general psychopathology in both samples; and with mindfulness, perspective taking, and interpersonal problems in clinical sample. Mean values of the scale were significantly higher in the clinical group.DiscussionThis study provides evidence that the Spanish version of the RFQ-8, understood as a single scale, has an adequate reliability and validity assessing failures in reflective functioning (i.e., hypomentalization) in general population and personality disorders.

Project description:Compelling evidence supports the role of childhood traumatization in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, including adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (aADHD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Hungarian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (H-CTQ-SF) and to investigate the differences between patients diagnosed with aADHD and BPD in terms of early traumatization. Altogether 765 (mean age = 32.8 years, 67.7% women) patients and control subjects were enrolled from different areas of Hungary. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were carried out to explore the factor structure of H-CTQ-SF and test the validity of the five-factor structure. Discriminative validity was assessed by comparing clinical and non-clinical samples. Subsequently, aADHD and BPD subgroups were compared with healthy controls to test for the role of early trauma in aADHD without comorbid BPD. Convergent validity was explored by measuring correlations with subscales of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). The five scales of the H-CTQ-SF demonstrated adequate internal consistency and reliability values. The five-factor model fitted the Hungarian version well after exclusion of one item from the physical neglect scale because of its cross-loading onto the emotional neglect subscale. The H-CTQ-SF effectively differentiated between the clinical and non-clinical samples. The BPD, but not the aADHD group showed significant differences in each CTQ domain compared with the healthy control group. All CTQ domains, except for physical abuse, demonstrated medium to high correlations with PID-5 emotional lability, anxiousness, separation insecurity, withdrawal, intimacy avoidance, anhedonia, depressivity, suspiciousness, and hostility subscales. Our study confirmed the psychometric properties of the H-CTQ-SF, an easy-to-administer, non-invasive, ethically sound questionnaire. In aADHD patients without comorbid BPD, low levels of traumatization in every CTQ domain were comparable to those of healthy control individuals. Thus, the increased level of traumatization found in previous studies of aADHD might be associated with the presence of comorbid BPD. Our findings also support the role of emotional neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse in the development of BPD.

Dataset Information

The Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire: Validity data for adults and its association with severity of borderline personality disorder.

Publications

The Italian version of the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire: Validity data for adults and its association with severity of borderline personality disorder.

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