TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - The mediating role of attachment and mentalising in the relationship between childhood maltreatment, self-harm and suicidality
JO  - Child abuse and neglect
A1  - Stagaki, Maria
A1  - Nolte, Tobias
A1  - Feigenbaum, Janet
A1  - King-Casas, Brooks
A1  - Lohrenz, Terry
A1  - Fonagy, Peter
A1  - Montague, P. Read
SP  - e105576
EP  - e105576
VL  - 128
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: Although the relationship between childhood maltreatment, self-harm and suicidality is well-established, less is known about the mediating mechanisms explaining it. Based on a developmental mentalisation-based theoretical framework, childhood adversity compromises mentalising ability and attachment security, which in turn increase vulnerability to later stressors in adulthood. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the role of attachment and mentalising as potential mechanisms in the relationship between childhood maltreatment, self-harm and suicidality. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We recruited 907 adults from clinical and community settings in Greater London. <br><br>METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on retrospectively rated childhood trauma, and current attachment to the romantic partner, mentalising, self-harm, suicidal ideation and attempt. We used structural equation modelling to examine the data and conceptualized childhood maltreatment as a general factor in a confirmatory bifactor model. <br><br>RESULTS: The results showed that childhood maltreatment was both directly associated with self-harm and suicidality and indirectly via the pathways of attachment and mentalising. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that insecure attachment and impaired mentalising partially explain the association between childhood maltreatment, self-harm and suicidality. Clinically, they provide support for the potential of mentalisation-based therapy or other psychosocial interventions that aim to mitigate the risk of self-harm and suicidality among individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment via increasing understanding of self and other mental states.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0145-2134
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105576
ID  - ref1
ER  -