Reduction Effect on Depression and Anxiety by Mentalizing: Model investigation of Sence of Identity as a Mediation Variable

Abstract

This study investigated whether mentalizing reduces identity confusion, depression, and anxiety. By surveying university students and using structural equation modeling, higher self-rated and other-related mentalizations were correlated with lower identity confusion. Additionally, identity confusion partially mediated the relationship between self-related mentalization and depression/anxiety. It fully mediated the relationship between other-related mentalization and depression/anxiety. These results suggest that self-rated mentalization directly affects depression/anxiety, as well as indirectly through the mediation of identity confusion. However, other-related mentalization does not directly affect depression/anxiety but indirectly through the mediation of identity confusion.