Reflective Functioning in an Adolescent Community Sample

Publication date: Available online 4 May 2019Source: Mental Health & PreventionAuthor(s): Carola Cropp, Rainer W. Alexandrowicz, Svenja TaubnerAbstractThe Reflective Functioning Scale (RFS) is a widely used psychodynamic measure that has been thoroughly studied in adult samples. However, to date empirical data regarding reflective functioning (RF) in adolescence has been sparse. The present study examines RF in a German sample of 96 adolescent pupils (aged 15-18). The study assesses the RF capacities of the adolescent pupils and examines its association to intelligence, language skills, sociodemographic data, and psychological adaptation. As expected theoretically, the mean RF score of the adolescent sample was significantly lower than that of adult community samples. Furthermore, sex, migration background and language skills were significantly related to RF. High RF capacities were associated with lower levels of externalizing symptoms especially in adolescents with psychopathy, however RF was unrelated to internalizing symptoms. The results of the study give further evidence for the importance of examining RF in adolescent individuals. The possible importance of RF as a protective factor in dealing with adversities should be considered in psychotherapy and prevention programs.
Source: Mental Health and Prevention - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research