A mentalizáció multidimenzionális kérdőívének (MMQ) magyar nyelvű adaptációja serdülők és fiatal felnőttek körében

Background Mentalization is a special tool for optimizing social interacions. Mentalisation is a multidimensional construct, the harmonious functioning of its dimensions indicates the proper functioning of the interpersonal and self-organizing skills necessary for the development of mentalization. The original Italian version of the Multidimensional Mentalization Questionnaire is a tool for examining the level of adolescent. Our goal was to validate a questionnaire in Hungarian that is well adapted to the age characteristics of adolescents and provides an opportunity to explore the positive aspects of mentalization. Method 1477 people participated in the study, adolescents (N = 850, Mage = 16,42, SD = 1,54) and young adults (N = 627, Mage = 23,75, SD = 3,43), of which 39% were men and 61% were women, the average age was 19.53 years (SD = 4.41). In addition to the Hungarian version of the Multidimensional Mentalization Questionnaire, the participants filled out the Multidimensional Social Support Questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Evaluation Scale. We included the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Barratt's Impulsivity Scale to examine poor mentalization. We checked the structure and reliability of the Mentalization multidimensional questionnaire, as well as its relationship with other demographic and psychological variables. Findings The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the six principal dimensions of the measure: reflexivity, ego-strength, relational attunement, relational discomfort, distrust, and emotional dyscontrol, the entire questionnaire contains 33 items. Examining the level of mentalization MANOVA showed significant main effect for age, while the cross-effect of age and gender also proved to be significant. The subscales indicating the success of mentalization indicated positive relationship with self-efficacy and self-esteem, and a negative relationship with the scales of impulsivity and alexithymia. In the case of poor mentalization subscales, these correlations were in the opposite direction, which supported the construct validity of the Multidimensional Mentalization Questionnaire. Conclusions According to our results, the questionnaire is suitable for examining the mentalization of adolescents and young adults. Based on Cronbach's alpha indicators, the internal reliability of all subscales and the entire scale is adequate. The questionnaire may therefore be suitable for use in further exploratory research.