Mentalizacja, mechanizmy obronne i styl przywiązania u młodych kobiet z symptomami zaburzeń odżywiania

In this study, we aimed to investigate the pathomechanism of eating disorders (ED) by examining mentalizing, attachment, and defense mechanisms. We conducted a study with 85 young women who completed the ECR-R, MentS, DSQ-40, and EAT-26 questionnaires. Women displaying high ED symptoms showed increased attachment anxiety and avoidance, utilized more immature defense mechanisms, and had lower levels of self-reflective mentalizing compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in interpersonal mentalizing and motivation for mentalizing. Regression analysis revealed that predictors of ED included attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and self-reflective mentalizing, explaining 47% of the variance in ED symptoms. Additionally, self-reflective mentalizing mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and the severity of ED symptoms.