Advanced Theory of Mind and adolescents’ emotional well-being in social context: does interpersonal competence matter?

• In Event: Theory of Mind and Mental Health in Childhood and Adolescence: Towards a transdiagnostic approach.

Abstract

Both advanced Theory of Mind (aToM, i.e., a recursive and interpretative ability that refers to mental states reasoning which are complex, occur in ambiguous situations or when inferring the true meaning for indirect speech) and interpersonal competence may be important factors influencing adolescents’ well-being, especially within the social context of the school that demands competent interpersonal behavior and proficiency in the interpretation of the mental states of others (Bosacki et al., 2020). Moreover, past studies show that aToM abilities play different roles within social contexts depending on gender (Białecka-Pikul et al., 2021), few studies consider the implications for one’s social and emotional wellbeing, especially during adolescence.

To address this gap in the literature, this short-term longitudinal study tested the links among aToM, interpersonal skills, and mental wellbeing in 86 Polish adolescents (42 girls, 44 boys). At T1 (mean age = 13.75 years, SD = 0.44) we measured aToM with the modified version of the Hinting Task (HT; Corcoran et al., 1995), Social Ambiguous Stories Task (SAS; Bosacki et al., 2013) and modified version of the Unexpected Outcomes Task (UOT; Dyck et al., 2001). 18 months later, at T2 (mean age = 15.44, SD = 0.52) we measured adolescents’ mental wellbeing with the KIDSCREEN-27 (Polish version: Mazur, 2008), Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (Parkhurst & Asher, 1992), and interpersonal competence with Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire – Revised (ICQ-R; Buhrmester et al., 1988).

We found that aToM significantly and positively predicted adolescents’ mental wellbeing (in boys, but not in girls. In addition, aToM significantly and negatively predicted loneliness in both boys and girls. In boys however some of these relations were mediated by interpersonal competence, especially the ability to provide emotional support. That is, boys who were proficient in aToM and interpersonal skills reported greater feelings of social integration and were less likely to feel lonely. On the contrary, girls’ interpersonal competence was not related to their aToM, and this ability to interact competently with others only weakly predicted their mental wellbeing.

The results indicate significant gender differences in aToM, interpersonal competence and wellbeing relations. The links among aToM, interpersonal skills, and wellbeing are more tightly interwoven for adolescent boys compared to girls. This study is novel and meaningful as results contribute to ongoing work about the role gender plays in adolescents’ mentalization skills and social-emotional school experiences. Overall, results highlight the need for further research to examine the role of aToM in the development of interpersonal competence and well-being, particularly in adolescent boys. Implications for intervention include the development of positive youth development programs that address gender and age differences in social-emotional competencies and mentalization skills.

Authors

• Sandra Bosacki, Brock University
  Presenting Author

• Małgorzata Stępień-Nycz, Jagiellonian University

• Marta Białecka-Pikul, Nicolaus Copernicus University