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Development and Validation of a Self-Report Measure of Mentalizing: The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire
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Reflective functioning or mentalizing is the capacity to interpret both the self and others in terms of internal mental states such as feelings, wishes, goals, desires, and attitudes. This paper is part of a series of papers outlining the development and psychometric features of a new self-report measure, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), designed to provide an easy to administer self-report measure of mentalizing. We describe the development and initial validation of the RFQ in three studies. Study 1 focuses on the development of the RFQ, its factor structure and construct validity in a sample of patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Eating Disorder (ED) (n = 108) and normal controls (n = 295). Study 2 aims to replicate these findings in a fresh sample of 129 patients with personality disorder and 281 normal controls. Study 3 addresses the relationship between the RFQ, parental reflective functioning and infant attachment status as assessed with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) in a sample of 136 community mothers and their infants. In both Study 1 and 2, confirmatory factor analyses yielded two factors assessing Certainty (RFQ_C) and Uncertainty (RFQ_U) about the mental states of self and others. These two factors were relatively distinct, invariant across clinical and non-clinical samples, had satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest stability, and were largely unrelated to demographic features. The scales discriminated between patients and controls, and were significantly and in theoretically predicted ways correlated with measures of empathy, mindfulness and perspective-taking, and with both self-reported and clinician-reported measures of borderline personality features and other indices of maladaptive personality functioning. Furthermore, the RFQ scales were associated with levels of parental reflective functioning, which in turn predicted infant attachment status in the SSP. Overall, this study lends preliminary support for the RFQ as a screening measure of reflective functioning. Further research is needed, however, to investigate in more detail the psychometric qualities of the RFQ.
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“Internal consistency of RFQc and RFQu respectively are α = 0.65 and α = 0.77 in a clinical sample and α = 0.67 and α = 0.63 in a non-clinical sample, respectively [55].”
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“Parental mentalization as a component of PRF (Fonagy et al., 2016) is one of the critical mediating processes between parent attachment and child attachment security (Luyten et al., 2020).”
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“A subset ( n = 20) of the sample filled out a longer RFQ questionnaire of 54 items [50] because it was suggested that RFQ-8 had poor construct validity for mentalisation [69].”
InfluentialSantoro, G., Cannavò, M., Schimmenti, A., & Barberis, N. (2025) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579425100205 · Cited by 8
Tohme, P., & Kolev, M. V. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708393 · Cited by 6
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Archer, M., Shnyien, A., Mansfield, S., & Draycott, S. (2022) · Early Intervention in Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/eip.13356 · Cited by 6
“Additionally, patients with FEP showed a similar pattern of hypomentalizing to that of patients with BPD in previous studies (Fonagy et al., 2016; Perroud *p < .05; **p < .01.”
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MethodThe psychometric properties of the Hungarian Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire
Szabó, B., Futó, J., Luyten, P., Boda, M., & Miklósi, M. (2023) · European Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17405629.2023.2276482 · Cited by 6
“Furthermore, Uncertainty is a more pathological aspect of mentalizing, and measuring it in a community sample could explain the lower Cronbach’s α (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
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“In previous research (Fonagy et al., 2016”
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“Reflective functioning is the human ability to reflect on the feelings, goals, attitudes, and wishes not only of oneself in a given relationship, but also on those of others (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
InfluentialEdginton, E., Walwyn, R. E. A., Twiddy, M., Wright-Hughes, A. M., Tubeuf, S., Reed, S., Smith, A., Stubbs, L., Birtwistle, J. C., Abraham, S., et al. (2018) · Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health · doi:10.2989/17280583.2018.1532433 · Cited by 6
“1186/ s13063-017-2166-2 • Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL* and TRF) (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000; 2001; Thomas, 1991) (parental rating of child’s problem behaviours and competencies;* teacher rating of academic achievement, class behaviour, attendance) • Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) (Fonagy et al…”
BackgroundCOVID-19 and Quality of Life: The Role of Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Factors
Πούλιος, Α., Christopoulos, A. L., Pavlopoulos, V., Tsiodra, M., Stefanakou, E., Stavrakaki, M., Risvas, C., Panaritis, C., Lagos, E., Ktena, M., et al. (2021) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2021.1210095 · Cited by 6
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Christensen, A. B., Poulsen, S., Højberg, T. M., Jessen, S. B., Reinholt, N., Hvenegaard, M., Eskildsen, A., Arendt, M. C. B. B., & Arnfred, S. (2024) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2995 · Cited by 5
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Validation of the Mentalization Scale (MentS) in francophone control and clinical samples
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“Items with reversed coding are: 8, 9, 11, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 26, 27.”
InfluentialFrancis, L. M., Greenwood, C. J., Enticott, P. G., Mansour, K. A., Smith, I., Graeme, L. G., Olsson, C. A., Milgrom, J., Skouteris, H., & Macdonald, J. A. (2023) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/famp.12912 · Cited by 5
Maladaptive Personality Trait Facets and Mentalization in Youth Gambling
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Kompetenzentwicklung und Ausbildung für eine integrierte Versorgung
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Kirkovski, M., Papavasiliou, G., Speranza, B. E., Scarfo, J., Albein‐Urios, N., Linardon, J., Phillipou, A., Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, M., & Enticott, P. G. (2024) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116285 · Cited by 5
“Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ; (Fonagy et al., 2016), an 8 item self-report measure of intra-and inter-personal mental and emotional (i.e. social) processes.”
Transgenerational association of mentalization with child mental health: A scoping review
Moreira, A., Vives, J., & Ballespí, S. (2024) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/famp.13085 · Cited by 7
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“The RFQ has also showed appropriate validity (Fonagy et al.,1998;2016) as established by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialMaouch, M. E., Wang, Y., Jin, Z., Tamutana, T. T., Zhao, K., & Liu, Y. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.930842 · Cited by 6
Pouravari, M., Tayebeh, Z., Hoseinian, S., & Bosmans, G. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03449-5 · Cited by 5
“The RFQ-17 consists of 17 items that assess reflective functioning in two dimensions of certainty (RFQ_C) and uncertainty (RFQ_U) about mental states.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialGoshen, D., Stein, D., Kurman, J., Farbstein, D., Enoch‐Levy, A., Aival‐Naveh, E., Gur, E., Yoeli, N., Bretler, T., Koren, D., et al. (2023) · Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40337-023-00836-6 · Cited by 6
“[36] excessive certainty among parents regarding their own mental states, which is characteristic of low mentalizing ability, as measured by a self-report RF questionnaire (RFQ8; [37]), predicted negative treatment outcome in AN-focused family therapy.”
BackgroundSalaminios, G., Sprüngli‐Toffel, E., Michel, C., Morosan, L., D, S. E. M., Armando, M., Fonseca‐Pedrero, E., Derome, M., Schultze‐Lutter, F., & Debbané, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1267656 · Cited by 5
Filipčić, I. Š., Jakšić, N., Levaj, S., Ćopo, M., Vuksan-Ćusa, Z., Mikulić, F. L., Grah, M., Hanžek, M. S., Šagud, M., Filipčić, I., et al. (2024) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.04.013 · Cited by 5
Fonseca‐Pedrero, E., Pérez‐Albéniz, A., Lucas‐Molina, B., Al‐Halabí, S., & Debbané, M. (2025) · Schizophrenia Bulletin · doi:10.1093/schbul/sbae041 · Cited by 5
“Items were rescored based on the procedure described by the authors of the questionnaire, on a scale from 0 to 3 (for details, see Fonagy et al 57 ).”
Schwarzer, N.-H., Behringer, N., Dees, P., Gingelmaier, S., Henter, M., Kirsch, H., Kreuzer, T. F., Langnickel, R., Link, P.-C., Müller, S., et al. (2025) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107436 · Cited by 5
“In its original version, the RFQ included eight items, with responses recorded on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (completely agree), that loaded onto a total of two factors.”
InfluentialSelf-citationHypermentalizing: the development and validation of a self-report measure
Sharp, C., Barr, C. D., & Vanwoerden, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546464 · Cited by 7
Frederiksen, C. K., Solbakken, O. A., Licht, R. W., Jørgensen, C. R., Rodrigo-Domingo, M., & Telléus, G. K. (2021) · Medicina · doi:10.3390/medicina57060627 · Cited by 5
“Furthermore, borderline PD and impairments in interpersonal functioning and impulsivity have repeatedly been linked to mentalizing deficits [33], mindfulness deficits [34], emotional dysregulation [35], and low emotional intelligence [36].”
BackgroundInternal Dialogical Activity and How to Measure It: Internal Dialogical Activity Scale-Revised
Oleś, P., Kutnik, J., Marczewska, M., & Pasternak, K. (2024) · Journal of Constructivist Psychology · doi:10.1080/10720537.2024.2446756 · Cited by 4
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“12 Hypomentalisation, also known as concrete or psychic equivalent thinking, refers to the excessively high level of uncertainty in interpreting and understanding internal mental states.”
Karhu, V.-M., Peltonen, A., & Flykt, M. S. (2026) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108074 · Cited by 4
Kurt, Y., Nolte, T., Luyten, P., Feigenbaum, J., King‐Casas, B., Leibowitz, J., Pilling, S., Montague, P. R., & Fonagy, P. (2025) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.70185 · Cited by 8
“Mentalizing-based approaches highlight the capacity to interpret behaviour in terms of underlying mental states as an important factor in this respect (Fonagy and Luyten 2016).”
InfluentialSelf-citationMartin, R. C., Rabba, A. S., & Sellbom, M. (2026) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.70037 · Cited by 4
Schmidt, F., Fiorini, G. P., da Costa, A. A., Brenner, E. B., Bittencourt, L. Z., & Ramires, V. R. R. (2022) · Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy · doi:10.1080/15289168.2022.2090212 · Cited by 5
“Concerning the association between attachment and externalizing behaviors, only the disorganized attachment style was associated with externalizing problems among children and adolescents in previous meta-analyses (Fearon et al., 2010; Fonagy et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMethodZhou, T., Wang, Q., Wang, Y., & Cheng, L. (2023) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s429109 · Cited by 5
“As the potential moderator of interest, reflective functioning was measured by the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), 37 which is an 8-item self-report scale consisting of the following dimensions: certainty (RFQc) and uncertainty (RFQu) about mental states.”
MethodUsluoğlu, F., Bülbül, E., & Çakır, R. (2024) · Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal · doi:10.14812/cuefd.1418303 · Cited by 4
Trauma-related symptoms in adolescents: the differential roles of sexual abuse and mentalizing
Wais, M., Bégin, M., Sharp, C., & Ensink, K. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1364001 · Cited by 7
Bergman, Y. S., Shrira, A., Swisa, O., & Weissberger, G. H. (2024) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2024.2382798 · Cited by 6
“The notion of mentalizing refers to the capacity to reflect on internal mental states with regard to both the self and others (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
Abi‐Habib, R., Kheir, W., & Tohme, P. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2024.100866 · Cited by 4
Kurt, Y., & Çakır, Z. (2025) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2025.113218 · Cited by 5
“…Izdebska, 2021), although less extensively compared to the well-established link between CM and BPD. Finally, while some studies find an association between mentalizing incapacity and BPO (Fischer-Kern et al., 2010; Fonagy et al., 2016), the literature on this topic remains relatively limited.”
Søe, M. A., & Psouni, E. (2025) · International Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2025.102618 · Cited by 7
Picazo, M. F., Cormenzana, S., & Martínez‐Pampliega, A. (2021) · Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación - e Avaliação Psicológica · doi:10.21865/ridep61.4.09 · Cited by 4
“RIDEP · Nº61 · Vol.4 · 131-146 · 2021 RFQ; Fonagy et al. (2016) (versión traducida al castellano proporcionada por los propios autores).”
BackgroundItalian validation of the mentalization scale (MentS)
Cosenza, M., Pizzini, B., Sacco, M., D’Olimpio, F., Troncone, A., Ciccarelli, M., Dimitrijević, A., & Nigro, G. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06071-9 · Cited by 4
“Specifically, Study 2 delved into evaluating the correlation between the MentS and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8; Fonagy et al., 2016) in a substantial cohort of high-school students.”
InfluentialJewell, T., McLaren, V., & Sharp, C. (2024) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10862-024-10158-9 · Cited by 5
“The RFQ8 (Fonagy et al., 2016) represents another potential choice, but the current scoring method, in which several items contribute to two different scales, is not ideal, and its factor structure is unclear, with recent research suggesting a unidimensional factor structure, rather than the…”
InfluentialChang, Y., Yang, M., Yang, C.-T., Goh, J. O. S., Lin, S., & Hsieh, S. (2024) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120810 · Cited by 5
“…into two distinct subscales: RFQ_certainty (RFQ_c, consisting of six items), indicating an elevated certainty regarding mental states; and RFQ_uncertainty (RFQ_u, comprising six items), indicative of an elevated uncertainty concerning both self and others' mental states (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
Hauschild, S., Taubner, S., Blachowiak, T. V., Dinger, U., Gündel, H., Herpertz, S. C., Rademacher, J., Strauss, B. M., Storck, T., Vassileva, R., et al. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06809-0 · Cited by 5
“The internal consistencies of the original instrument in a clinical sample are α = 0.77 and α = 0.65 and the test– retest reliability over a period of 3 weeks rs = 0.84 and rs = 0.75, respectively [101].”
InfluentialKennedy-Turner, J., Nemeth, Z., & Anderson, L. (2025) · Adolescent Research Review · doi:10.1007/s40894-025-00261-7 · Cited by 7
Moving and Reflective Functioning Under Stress
Finn, M. T. M., Smith, C. L., McKernan, L. C., & Nash, M. R. (2019) · Psychodynamic Psychiatry · doi:10.1521/pdps.2019.47.2.197 · Cited by 4
Barkauskienė, R., Skabeikytė‐Norkienė, G., & Gervinskaitė-Paulaitienė, L. (2020) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2020.08.011 · Cited by 4
Dzirlo, L., Richter, F., Steinmair, D., & Löffler‐Stastka, H. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18052780 · Cited by 7
“Although assessing the different aspects of RF is still a difficult task, particularly by questionnaires to enable studies with broader samples [51], it is of great importance to clarify these replicated and novel deficits in RF to foster psychotherapeutic interventions.”
BackgroundThe bodymind model of Art Therapy in coping with problem substance use
Czamanski‐Cohen, J., & Abato, K. (2021) · International Journal of Art Therapy · doi:10.1080/17454832.2021.1886135 · Cited by 4
“…that may be only slightly beyond the boundaries of the patient’s conscious thinking, as they refer to what is seen on the paper; (d) the therapy creates a transitional area of relatedness where thoughts and emotions can be ‘played with’ (Fonagy et al., 2016) potentially through the artwork.”
BackgroundMentalisieren und selbstregulative Fähigkeiten bei nichtklinischen Probanden
Schwarzer, N.-H., Nolte, T., Kirsch, H., & Gingelmaier, S. (2021) · Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung · doi:10.1007/s11553-021-00856-7 · Cited by 4
Breivik, K., Eng, H., Kaiser, S., Karjalainen, P., Kurki, M., Kyrrestad, H., Laajasalo, T., Martinussen, M., Merikukka, M., Peltonen, K., et al. (2021) · Nordic Council of Ministers eBooks · doi:10.6027/nord2021-037 · Cited by 5
Escher, F. J., Sarrar, L., & Seiffge‐Krenke, I. (2021) · Nordic Psychology · doi:10.1080/19012276.2021.2001678 · Cited by 4
Milligan, K., Rodrigues, E. R., Daari, L., & Urbanoski, K. A. (2021) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-021-00391-7 · Cited by 4
“However, separate scales for self and other have since been derived and used in research [18, 19].”
Small Moments, Big Impact: Pilot Trial of a Relational Health App for Primary Care
ZUCKERMAN, B. S., Edson, K., Mesite, L. M., Hatcher, C., & Rowe, M. L. (2022) · Academic Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.acap.2022.02.010 · Cited by 4
Golan, M. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.774382 · Cited by 4
“High values on this scale indicate high uncertainty regarding mental states; hence, difficulties with mentalising (33).”
BackgroundMethodResultUlvestad, D. A., Johansen, M. S., Kvarstein, E. H., Pedersen, G., & Wilberg, T. (2022) · Nordic Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/08039488.2022.2123040 · Cited by 6
“This bias in meta-perspective is well known [15,16].”
BackgroundOzdemir, E., MacBeth, A. M., & GRIFFITHS, H. M. (2023) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12503 · Cited by 5
“The construct validity of RFQ-8 was supported by its associations with measures of empathy, perspective taking, and mind-fulness (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
Allman, M. E., Kulesz, P. A., Marais, L., & Sharp, C. (2023) · Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy · doi:10.1080/15289168.2023.2275230 · Cited by 4
“Despite these conceptual nuances, reflective function and mentalizing are considered closely related concepts and have been used interchangeably (Fonagy et al., 2016).”
BackgroundNarrative Approach and Mentalization
Frolli, A., Cerciello, F., Ciotola, S., Ricci, M. C., Esposito, C., & Sica, L. S. (2023) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs13120994 · Cited by 4
Trauma in the lives of parents experiencing severe perinatal mental illness
Isobel, S. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1380146 · Cited by 4
How Can Social Mentality Theory Help Us Understand Eating Disorder Presentations? A Scoping Review
Mullen, G., & O’Reilly, G. (2018) · Journal of Relationships Research · doi:10.1017/jrr.2018.17 · Cited by 4
“Last, the present review highlights areas for future systematic syntheses, including shame, self-criticism, pride, loneliness, selflessness/prosocial behaviour, mentalisation as measured by reflective functioning measures such as the Reflective Functioning Scale (Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele, 1998) or the Reflecti…”
BackgroundMethodPersonality in the Light of Identity, Reputation and Role Taking: A Review of Socioanalytic Theory
Gottlieb, T., Furnham, A. F., & Klewe, J. B. (2021) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2021.1212123 · Cited by 5
Remeeus, M. G. A., Clarke, S. L., Feenstra, D. J., Van Eeren, H., Smits, M. L., Debruyne, S., Kouijzer, M. E. J., Luyten, P., Scholte, R. H. J., & Hutsebaut, J. (2024) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-024-08095-9 · Cited by 3
“The Reflec-tive Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ; [55]) is a brief self-report screening measure of reflective functioning.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationPark, M., & Song, H. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0312350 · Cited by 3
Doba, K., Debbané, M., Auger, É., & Nandrino, J. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.01.052 · Cited by 5
Mentalizing Oneself and Others in Anorexia Nervosa: From Subjective Evaluation to Performance
Auger, É., Nandrino, J., & Doba, K. (2025) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23791 · Cited by 4
Davis, P. E., & Kola, S. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-02578-3 · Cited by 3
“The RF questionnaire was developed to measure mental-izing ability [84].”
Janssen, P. G. J., Stoltz, S. E. M. J., Cillessen, A. H. N., & van Ee, E. (2025) · Family Process · doi:10.1111/famp.70046 · Cited by 4
“The RFQ is an eight-item self-report measure of reflective functioning as an operationalization of mentalization (Fonagy et al. 2016) and has two subscales: uncertainty (uncertain reflective functioning) and certainty (certain reflective functioning) regarding mental states.”
Asgarizadeh, A., Kafteroudi, A. H. D., Mazaheri, M. A., & Ghanbari, S. (2025) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2025-107520 · Cited by 3
“Among the most widely employed are the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ), 15 the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ) 16 and the Mentalization Scale (MentS).”
The common structure of mentalizing
Asgarizadeh, A., Shoumali, R., & Tahan, M. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0332722 · Cited by 4
“Among the most widely employed instruments are the Mentalizing Questionnaire [MZQ; 14], the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire [RFQ; 15], and the Mentalization Scale [MentS; [16].”
O’Driscoll, C., O'Reilly, S., Jaremba, A. J., Nolte, T., & Shaikh, M. (2025) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/79296 · Cited by 3
“Mentalizing capacity was measured using the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-8 (RFQ-8) [49].”
Ramsauer, B. S., Michaelsen, J. L., & Zitzmann, S. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.120838 · Cited by 3
Ribeiro, E., Gonçalves, M. M., & Santos, B. (2018) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022167818792123 · Cited by 4
“Some of these ingredients have similarities (as well as differences) with concepts proposed by other researchers, such as metaposition (Hermans & Hermans-Konopka, 2010), observer position (Leiman, 2012), metacognitive functioning (Lysaker & Dimaggio, 2014), reflective functioning (Fonagy et al., 2016), or insight (Cas…”
BackgroundWhat tools should be used to identify women in need of additional support in pregnancy?
Insua‐Summerhays, B., Bevis, B. K., & Barlow, J. (2022) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646838.2022.2103525 · Cited by 3
“Low levels of parental reflective functioning are demonstrated in an unawareness, inaccuracy or lack of comprehension of the internal state of the infant (Fonagy et al., 2016; Meins et al., 2002; Slade, 2005).”
BackgroundBergman, Y. S., & Weissberger, G. H. (2024) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.3408 · Cited by 3
Spanish Adaptation of the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ) in Community Adolescents and Adults
Nonweiler, J., Doval, E., Neus Barrantes-vidal, A., & Ballespí, S. (2024) · Psicothema · doi:10.7334/psicothema2023.47 · Cited by 3
Mediation 2.0: a mentalizing-informed framework for renewed purpose and practice
Howieson, J., Mancini, V. O., Ruggiero, M., & Moroney, D. M. (2024) · Psychiatry Psychology and Law · doi:10.1080/13218719.2024.2313999 · Cited by 3
“This is referred to as impaired mentalizing (Bateman & Fonagy, 2004; Fonagy et al., 2016).”
Szabó, B., Sharp, C., Futó, J., Boda, M., Losonczy, L., & Miklósi, M. (2024) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13591045241252205 · Cited by 3
“Fonagy et al. (2016) developed The Re fl ective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) to measure adult mentalizing capacity, which consists of 46 items.”
Predictors of suicidal ideation in Italian veterinarians
Varallo, G., Zagaria, A., Baldini, V., Schianchi, A., Brščić, M., Panero, M., Franceschini, C., Schimmenti, A., & Musetti, A. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-68330-w · Cited by 3
“…about Mental States (RFQu) subscale from the Reflective functioning questionnaire 49 that measures hypomentalazing and exhibited a strong and significant association with various clinical attributes, including self-harming behaviors, depressive symptoms, and diminished quality of life 50,51 .”
BackgroundSchwarzer, N.-H., Link, P.-C., Nolte, T., Turner, A., Kirsch, H., Langnickel, R., & Gingelmaier, S. (2024) · European Journal of Special Needs Education · doi:10.1080/08856257.2024.2402167 · Cited by 9
“There are concerns about the psychometric quality of the RFQ, as its original factor structure has been questioned in a recent study.”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Fonagy, P., Luyten, P., Moulton-Perkins, A., Lee, Y.-W., Warren, F., Howard, S., Ghinai, R., Fearon, P., & Lowyck, B.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- University of Surrey (GB)
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Fonagy, Peter
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2016-07-08
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- e0158678
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4938585
- OpenAlex
- W2468117220
- Cited by
- 754
- References
- 113
- Citations by year
- 2026: 102 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 112 · 2023: 108 · 2022: 84 · 2021: 95 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 39.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lirias (KU Leuven) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health Research (NF-SI-0514-10157)
- Economic and Social Research Council (RES-060-25-0044)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- mentalization, reflective functioning, self-report measure development, borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, parental reflective functioning, infant attachment, Strange Situation Procedure, empathy, mindfulness, perspective taking, psychometric validation, factor structure
- MeSH terms
- Female, Humans, Male, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Theory of Mind, Self Report
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