The causal model of insecure attachment style and traumatic experiences mediated by mindfulness on the mentalization

Mentalization, which is defined as the capacity to understand the mental states of oneself and others, can be an important factor in social anxiety disorder. This study aimed to investigate the causal model of insecure attachment style and traumatic experiences mediated by mindfulness on the mentalization of people with social anxiety.

The present study is quantitative correlation and structural equations. The statistical population of the study included all students of Payame Noor University in Aleshtar in 1399. 232 students who scored above 40 in the Conover Social Anxiety Questionnaire were selected as the sample. Data collection tools included: Connor Social Anxiety Questionnaire, Dimitrievich mentalization, Hazen Attachment Style, Mohammadkhani Traumatic Experiences, and Freiburg Mindfulness. Data were analyzed using structural equations using AMOS software.

The results showed that the hypothetical model of the research has a good fit with the data. Insecure attachment style and traumatic experiences had a significant negative relationship with mentalization. Mindfulness was able to significantly mediate the relationship between insecure attachment and mentalization, but mindfulness did not play a significant mediating role in the relationship between traumatic experiences and mentalization.

The results of this study indicate that insecure attachment style, directly and indirectly, affects mentalization through mindfulness and traumatic experiences can only directly affect mentalization. Paying attention to these variables can be effective in solving mental problems and improving them.