Background

The way people process trauma and adverse relationships may be more predictive of subsequent adaptation than trauma exposure in itself. However, there is currently no self-report instrument assessing failures in the mentalization of trauma and adverse relationships.

Objective

We developed the Failure to Mentalize Trauma Questionnaire (FMTQ) and evaluated its psychometric properties. The FMTQ is a 29-item self-report instrument designed to assess different indications of failures in the mentalization of trauma and adverse relationships.

Participants and setting

A total of 975 participants (84 % women; 37 % exposed to child maltreatment) were recruited in the course of larger research protocols on parenting.

Methods

Participants completed the FMTQ and measures of childhood maltreatment, psychopathology (post-traumatic stress symptoms, dissociative symptoms, level of personality dysfunction), general mentalization and intimate partner violence.

Results

Exploratory factor analysis, supported by a confirmatory factor analysis, identified seven factors with good internal consistency that corresponded to different types of failures in the mentalization of trauma and adverse relationships and that loaded on a general factor. A dose-effect association was observed between the severity of childhood maltreatment, and the severity of failures in the mentalization of trauma and adverse relationships (r_s = .49, p < .01). The FMTQ total score explained a significant proportion of variance in psychopathology and intimate partner violence, both in participants with histories of childhood maltreatment and participants without childhood maltreatment.

Conclusion

The FMTQ is a promising, concise and efficient measure of failures in the mentalization of trauma and adverse relationships that may facilitate clinical screening and research with adults who experienced trauma.

中文翻译：

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开发和验证评估创伤和不良关系心理化失败的自我报告措施

背景

人们处理创伤和不利关系的方式可能比创伤暴露本身更能预测随后的适应。然而，目前没有自我报告工具来评估创伤和不良关系的心理化失败。

客观的

我们开发了心理创伤问卷 (FMTQ) 并评估了其心理测量特性。FMTQ 是一个包含 29 项的自我报告工具，旨在评估创伤和不良关系心理化失败的不同迹象。

参与者和设置

共有 975 名参与者（84% 为女性；37% 遭受虐待儿童）在更大的育儿研究方案过程中被招募。

方法

参与者完成了 FMTQ 和儿童虐待、精神病理学（创伤后应激症状、分离症状、人格障碍程度）、一般心理化和亲密伴侣暴力的测量。

结果

在验证性因素分析的支持下，探索性因素分析确定了七个具有良好内部一致性的因素，这些因素对应于创伤和不利关系心理化的不同类型的失败，并且加载在一个一般因素上。观察到童年虐待的严重程度与创伤和不良关系心理化失败的严重程度之间存在剂量效应关联（r _s = .49，p  < .01）。FMTQ 总分解释了精神病理学和亲密伴侣暴力的很大一部分差异，无论是在有童年虐待史的参与者中，还是在没有童年虐待史的参与者中。

结论

FMTQ 是一种有前途的、简洁有效的衡量创伤和不良关系心理化失败的方法，可能有助于对经历过创伤的成年人进行临床筛查和研究。