Mentalization in Asylum Seekers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Bibliographic Data

ID15511730
AuthorsMassimiliano Aragona (0000-0002-4841-5825, National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP), 00153 Rome, Italy, corresponding author), Marcella Cavallo (National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP), 00153 Rome, Italy), Federica Ferrari (0000-0001-7971-4716, National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP), 00153 Rome, Italy), Giovanna Laurendi (National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP), 00153 Rome, Italy), Gianluca Nicolella (0000-0003-0420-8282, National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP), 00153 Rome, Italy)
Year2025
Volume22
Issue9
Pages1405-1405
Publication date2025-09-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph22091405
PMID41007549
OpenAlexW4414156355
LanguageEN
References cited20

This study explores the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the two major dimensions of mentalization (self and other-oriented) in asylum seekers resettled in Italy. It is important because it is the first study addressing the role of mentalization in asylum seekers with PTSD. Twenty asylum seekers scoring above the cut-off for the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) were contrasted to twenty asylum seekers without PTSD on mentalization and somatization. The Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) and the Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI-21) were used to assess mentalization and somatization, respectively. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the overall association between variables. Asylum seekers with PTSD had significantly higher scores than those without PTSD on somatization ( p = 0.03), and significantly lower scores on self-oriented mentalization ( p < 0.05) than those without PTSD. These results show that asylum seekers with PTSD have reduced self-oriented mentalizing abilities, while the other-oriented component of mentalization appears less involved. This study shows that mentalization deserves more research for the possibly crucial role of reduced self-oriented mentalization in asylum seekers' suffering. If these findings are confirmed by future studies, they could be used to tailor interventions for asylum seekers and refugees with PTSD

Mental health · Mentalization · Psychological intervention · Refugee · Somatization · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments