Links Between Childhood Adversity Types, Mentalizing Abilities, and Adult Mental Health Issues: Insights from a Community-Based Study

By
Flora Descartes
Karyn Doba
Emilie Auger
Vincent Besch
Nader Perroud
Martin Debbané
the Réseau Francophone des Thérapies Basées sur la Mentalisation (RF-TBM) Consortium
July 17, 2026

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Childhood adversity, including deprivation and threat, is a significant risk factor for various psychopathological outcomes in adulthood.
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The Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP) differentiates between deprivation and threat as distinct dimensions of childhood adversity.
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Deprivation negatively impacts other-mentalizing, while threat positively influences it and negatively affects self-mentalizing.
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Self-mentalizing is strongly linked to lower levels of psychopathology, whereas difficulties in understanding others can lead to maladaptive adaptations.
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The study found that age moderates the relationship between self-mentalizing and psychopathology, highlighting the complexity of these interactions.

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